De Rust was returned on the corner of Schoolstraat and Jan van Swolgenstraat in Swolgen on Tuesday morning. Security guards and some police officers are posting for the former village school that has been serving as an emergency shelter since July 2022, and where on Monday night a fire won fire.
Shaking
Thanks to the alert action of security staff, the 45 Ukrainian refugees who stayed in the building were quickly awakened and evacuated, even before the fire hit the roof.
“They were shivering in their pajamas and underwear outside,” says Rensje van Leijden. Together with her husband, she runs the campsite just outside the village. “My husband and I looked at each other and went straight to the police to offer our room as a daycare. That was the least we could do for them.”
Now the eyes are small with the couple. All night they have taken care of the Ukrainian refugees. “We donated coffee and tea and gave the children bags of chips. People liked it, but the atmosphere was just as much left. I also understand. All their things they still had are now lost again,” sighs Van Leijden.
Vans
Eventually the refugees were picked up by buses between five and six in the morning to be transferred to two reception locations in other municipalities. The Leijden couple has overtaken a little bit of sleep, but is already busy for the campsite guests. “They now also wake up slowly, so we have to be there again for them. We will catch up on that sleep later.”
The damage to the reception location is great. © Lé Giesen
People from the fire brigade and police investigated the cause of the fire on Tuesday morning. That was completed by the end of the morning. According to a police spokesperson, it has been established that there is no arson, but that the cause ‘for 99 percent certainty’ lies in a ‘technical defect’.
Uninhabitable
Although part of the old school building appears to be undamaged from the outside, the reception location has been very badly damaged by the fire and has been declared uninhabitable for the time being.
The fire hit the roof of the shelter for Ukrainian refugees on Monday night. © Edward-Media
Whether the location is still open is unclear. The municipality of Horst aan de Maas decided before the summer vacation to terminate the reception on January 1, 2026. According to a spokesperson for the municipality, the municipal administration is considering this morning about whether the location will remain closed or whether there will still be an alternative location.
The school building was in use since 2022 as a daycare for refugees from Ukraine who were offered a first roof over their heads immediately after their arrival in the Netherlands. After no later than 72 hours, the Ukrainians then had to move on to a permanent shelter elsewhere in the country.
Water pipe
Due to the extinguishing work, there was also a break in a water pipe. A few dozen households were without water on Tuesday morning. WML engineers were present early on Tuesday morning to solve those problems.