At shelters, the building that went up in flames in Eindhoven on Saturday is known as a place to sleep for the homeless. It was not clear if anyone was still in the building when the fire broke out. “We are going to make an inventory of whether anyone is missing. But you hope everyone got away safely.”
The vacant building in the Lichtstraat is a familiar place for Thijs Eradus. He is director of Springplank040, an Eindhoven shelter organization. According to him, homeless people often sleep there who are not entitled to emergency shelter, for example Eastern Europeans. It will be checked in the coming days if anyone is missing.
“Fortunately, the fire broke out early in the evening,” he explains. “And it was nice and warm outside. So you hope everyone got away safely.”
Missing
The director says he is in contact with other authorities. They will be alert if someone turns out to be missing soon. “Searching in this recently burnt down building is not possible now, of course.”
Firefighters checked the ground floor shortly after the fire broke out. “We were inside for a while,” a spokesperson told Omroep Brabant. Then no one was seen inside. The fire service therefore has no indications that there are any victims.
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This is what the mega fire in the center of Eindhoven looks like