After the fierce fire on New Year’s Eve, virtually nothing is left of the large thatched farmhouse on the Eursinge in the hamlet of the same name. The charred remains are searched for precious belongings and tangible memories. “It’s a drama.”
On the floor in the chicken shed, which was spared from the fire, are about twenty pages from a photo album. The edges are scorched, but the images are relatively intact. Photos from better times.
Resident Wim is having a look. “I don’t know if we can do anything with it anymore, but it is at least something.” He talks about the past hours; the bad movie he and his wife Henriëtte ended up in after 3 am.
Celebrated New Year’s Eve
They had celebrated New Year’s Eve with others at home. When the visitors left, nothing had happened yet. “Ten minutes later we were in bed,” says Wim. They would clean up on New Year’s Day.
“Suddenly I smelled a burning smell,” Henriëtte continues. She didn’t trust it. “When I went out the front door, I saw the roof on the other side of the house burning and called the fire brigade.” Wim: “Luckily we slept with the window open and the wind was in the right direction, otherwise we would have we didn’t know it right away.”
Dogs and cats
They hurriedly brought the three dogs and two cats to safety. They don’t know whether two kittens survived. “I wanted to go inside afterwards,” says Henriëtte, “but the utility room was already full of smoke. I then called our children.”
The fire brigade arrived quickly and received assistance from more firefighting groups. But fighting the sea of flames required a lot of fire-fighting water, which had to be brought in from the Ruiner Aa. Although the thatched roof was soaking wet due to the heavy rainfall, the strong wind drove the fire unstoppably through the farm.
Fireworks?
Wim and Henriëtte had to watch passively as their property burned down. They can only guess at the cause of the fire. ,,Fireworks? Maybe. In any case, there was no heater or anything in the back part.”
It’s a cliché, but life goes on. They run a pig and chicken farm. “We have to work again tomorrow,” says Wim. With a broad arm gesture: “New chickens will be coming in here on Friday. Then everything must be spick and span.”
‘Heart warming’
They have nothing but praise for neighbors and other residents of the hamlet. “We already have shelter. People immediately made a house and other things available. They also get groceries. Really heartwarming! Neatness at its finest.”
Wim points to his clothes: “I only have this. Yes, it’s a drama. What I do know: if I am allowed to rebuild the house, there will be no thatched roof on it. It looks very nice, but not for me anymore.”
Baby photos
Henriëtte returns from outside. “We just had the house in order,” she says. “The garden was tackled, the interior, a new conservatory. But everything is gone. Baby photos of the children, other tangible memories from the past.”
She fills up. Wim puts his arms around her. “Oh girl, what a sadness. But luckily we still have each other.”