After the fire on the KNSM island in Amsterdam, the fire brigade declared three apartments uninhabitable. The house where Niazy grew up was also threatened by the flames. “Our whole life is here.”
The residents of the apartment complex on Barcelonaplein are stunned on Thursday afternoon. They have to get out of their houses just after noon, when the flames burst from the roof on the top floor. Thick black plumes of smoke blow over the IJ.
Ron Abels lives on the second floor of the building. “I heard the sirens and then went to the balcony to look, then I saw the flames coming from the sixth.” He is still calm: his house has probably not suffered any damage from the fire or the extinguishing work.
Uninhabitable
The situation is very different for the house where Niazy grew up. His mother still lives with her boyfriend in the apartment, which is adjacent to the house where the fire started. “My mother is one of the first inhabitants of the island, our whole life is here. All memories, photos, documents. When the house burned down, we lost everything. She was just able to take the dog with her on her flight out. ” Two cats and a parakeet are housed with a neighbor.
The fire department later informs Niazy and his family that their house has suffered significant fire and smoke damage. There were no casualties in the fire. The two residents who live in the apartment where the fire started were taken care of by paramedics.