A fire briefly raged in a cell in the Zuyderbos prison in Heerhugowaard tonight. Staff raised the alarm and a number of cells were evacuated. The Security Region reports this to NH News.
Around 21.03, the fire brigade was alerted to the fire on Copernicusstraat. Because it was a prison and therefore many people are staying in a small area, the fire brigade went that way with two fire trucks and scaled up to a medium-sized fire.
The fire was extinguished five minutes after the report, the spokesman said. “The prisoner extinguished the fire in his cell himself.”
Firefighters were able to stay outside
It is not clear how the fire started. In the end, the fire brigade did not come in. According to the Security Region, no one was injured. An internal assistance team (a kind of ME within the prison) has been called in to take the detainee out of his cell, the spokesperson reported.
The Custodial Institutions Agency was not (yet) available for comment. We may add this later.