Fortunately, a day after the fire at the Zuiderhof cemetery in Hilversum, the damage was not too bad. The burned trees along the path are especially sad, but: “There is no damage to grave monuments and we can just have ceremonies again today”, says Anita van Loon of the Hilversum funeral foundation.
Fire at Zuiderhof cemetery in Hilversum – NH Nieuws
While the smell of fire still lingers in the cemetery, the cause of the fire is still spoken in disbelief. “My people are really not allowed to walk around with a burner during this drought,” says Van Loon.
A subcontractor who often works at the cemetery decided yesterday to burn weeds on the gravel path, after which the grass and trees along the path caught fire. “I was completely stunned when I heard that,” says Anita van Loon still full of disbelief.
miracle
In the end, the fire was quickly brought under control thanks to adequate action by personnel at the cemetery and bystanders. “It is a miracle, but there is only a little bit of soot damage on four grave monuments”, Anita says with relief. “We were able to polish it nicely, but the fire really stopped just before the first row of graves.”
“It is really very important that we have another funeral at half past ten”
Because the damage was so limited, all funerals can continue today. “Unfortunately, a lot of people die during this period because of the heat. We are therefore very busy,” explains Van Loon. “It is really very important that we have another funeral at half past ten.”
The same subcontractor has already repaired most of the damage by clearing burnt branches. In the coming weeks, the remaining damage will be repaired as soon as possible.