Bad things in Bedum during New Year’s Eve. A group of young people set fire to an empty shop building and pelted the fire brigade and police with fireworks. Residents are shocked, but saw it coming. “It was very inviting to set on fire.”
Not a window is still intact in the burned down shop building at De Vlijt in Bedum. Even the persistent rain fails to dispel the pungent smell of burnt Styrofoam. Remnants of fireworks lie here and there, both inside and outside the fence that has been erected around the site.
The abandoned demolition building was set on fire by a group of young people during New Year’s Eve, probably with fireworks. The fire brigade came out to put the fire out, but the young people did not thank them for that. They pelted the fire brigade and police with fireworks.
‘You walk away because you feel unsafe’
A fireworks bomb exploded under a car, causing a firefighter to suffer hearing damage. After a visit to the doctor, he is expected to recover. The mobile unit (ME) had to be called in to restore peace in the center of Bedum. No arrests were made.
Sitting in his official car, local police officer Remco van Aalst looks at the burned former butcher’s shop. He is out on Wednesday to investigate the neighborhood. He refers to the police spokesperson for details, but the officer is happy to explain how he experienced New Year’s Eve. Van Aalst was there and was also pelted with fireworks. “At some point you walk away because you feel unsafe.”
‘I’m really in a warzone’
According to him, it is a regular occurrence during New Year’s Eve. “I always prepare for this in advance: I will soon find myself in a war zone again.” He takes his keys and picks out a coin with an image of patron saint Saint Michael. “I’m not religious, but I always have this with me. To come home safely every day.”
Mayor Henk Jan Bolding of Het Hogeland visited the firefighters at the fire station in Bedum on Monday to offer them a listening ear and encouragement. According to him, throwing fireworks had an impact on the firefighters: they were very frightened. “I expressed my appreciation for their work, because it was quite exciting during New Year’s Eve.”
‘Only one flare was needed’
Residents already saw the grim New Year’s Eve coming. Because the shop building was only half demolished and had been vacant since the Christmas holidays, it turned out to be an ideal target for arsonists. “I already told my son in mid-December, who also lives in Bedum, that this would go wrong with New Year’s Eve,” says Jacob (62), who wants to keep his surname to himself for fear of reprisals. “You only needed one flare, you can predict that something will catch fire.”
De Bedumer points to the other side of the street, where an empty doctor’s practice will soon be demolished. “Suppose they had also half demolished it, then it would also have been set on fire.” According to him, the municipality should have known better. “They should have completely demolished the store immediately. The municipality is not going unpunished.”
Demolition not successful in time
According to municipal spokesperson Annemarie Veenhuis, the intention was to completely demolish the building before New Year’s Eve, but the contractor was unable to do so due to the bad weather in recent weeks and a shortage of employees. “He didn’t have enough people at his disposal to finish it on time.”
The mayor is upset about the incident during the first night of the new year. “I find it worrying that care providers are hindered in their work in this way,” says Bolding. However, according to Veenhuis, this does not constitute a reason for a fireworks ban in the municipality. “In any case, that is not yet a topic of discussion.”
‘Now it has really gotten out of hand’
Negligence of the municipality or not, it does not alter the fact that Jacob condemns the behavior of the suspected young people. “It’s not good to set something on fire, but it’s certainly not good to throw fireworks. I was also young, and I also ate things out. But a cobra like that hits harder than what I used to have. You should definitely address young people about this kind of behavior.”
Tamara Mast (45) thinks so too. “You should never throw fire at the fire brigade or police. They are just doing their job, especially for our safety.” According to her, a young group often ‘hang out’ on the square next to the burned down shop building, even every year on New Year’s Eve. “The police are often present, but now it has gotten very out of hand.”
‘I had the feeling: something is going to happen there’
Mast also predicted that the case could go up in flames. “I understand how it could have happened. At least one window had already been smashed. The way the building looked made it very inviting to set it on fire.” She also points to the temptingly abandoned GP post. “I actually had the feeling in both buildings: something is going to happen there. But it remained just one.”