It has been a week and a half since a fire broke out at restaurant Klein Paramaribo in Assen. Not only this building was damaged by the fire, but the restaurants next door also suffered damage to their buildings in the Rolderstraat.
Both buildings are therefore not open. While one mainly has soot and smoke damage, the other neighbors are more serious. Their premises are in danger of collapsing; the owners are no longer allowed to enter the building.
When the fire broke out at Klein Paramaribo, the neighbors came to Rolderstraat to check the situation. Initially, this was mainly to support the owners of the Surinamese restaurant. Later on, they saw that their own premises were in danger. “It all looked okay at the beginning when we arrived, but at the end of the fire it also spread to our business.” As a result, the building will be closed for at least three to six months, but they do not give up.
“We have other buildings in Assen, so we can now continue to deliver. We are now preparing that in one of our buildings. But we can’t receive guests now and therefore miss turnover.”
And that’s not all. The owners actually had to leave everything behind in the building, says the owner. “We went in once with the police and fire brigade to collect valuables. Actually, we had left everything behind. It is terrible that this happened. You do not expect it, you have lost everything and there is nothing you can do. Except to wait and see what the insurance can mean.”
The other restaurant next door had a little more luck. “Our building was not hit by the fire or smoke, but there is a lot of soot damage. Everything had to be removed, up to the ceilings. We were surprised how much soot is everywhere.”
At the moment the owners are busy cleaning. They were allowed to re-enter the building since last Tuesday. “The police and fire brigade checked the building and then we were allowed in. I hope we can open again in about three to four weeks. We are especially happy that the fire did not spread to us, but it is terrible what happened is.”
Both neighbors have indicated that they want to talk to RTV Drenthe, but wish to remain anonymous.