A fire broke out in a garage in Norg this afternoon. The fire at the building at Westeind started around 2 p.m. Because the fire produced a lot of smoke, a NL alert was sent.
Large black clouds of smoke are visible above the village. Fire brigades from both Drenthe and Groningen were called in to extinguish the fire.
Due to the fire, several residents on Molenstraat and Kerkhofsdrift had to leave their homes. They can return after the fire brigade has checked the houses.
The fire broke out in a building next to a gas station. The fire brigade managed to prevent the fire from spreading to that or other buildings, but according to the fire brigade the business premises can no longer be saved.
Soon after the report, the fire brigade scaled up to the so-called GRIP 1 level. This means that the emergency services, such as the fire brigade, police and ambulance, coordinate their work regionally in order to properly combat the fire.
According to a spokesperson for the Drenthe Safety Region (VRD), the report came in around 2 p.m. “We received a report of a container in the building that was on fire. The fire quickly spread.”
Because the fire caused considerable smoke development, a NL alert was sent to people who live roughly between Norg and Vries. “We urge people to keep their distance from the fire and keep windows and doors closed,” the spokesperson said.
Several bangs were heard while the fire was being extinguished. According to the VRD, this is because there were gas bottles in the building.
It is not yet known what caused the fire.