At fish shop Benjamins, in the center of Coevorden, it is mainly cleaning these days. Due to the fire that broke out in the adjacent building last Friday, the store suffered extensive smoke and water damage. “It’s all hands on deck now. If all goes well, the business can open again next Wednesday.”
This is what owner Henk Benjamins says of the fish and snack shop on Friesestraat. Last Friday the adjacent building burned down completely. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but the police have already reported that a cannabis farm was found on the top floor.
“We experienced a lot of damage due to the extinguishing work and half the floor had to be removed, including some bottom plates here and there,” says Benjamins. “We are also mainly cleaning with many friends and family members to get the smell of smoke out of the business.” The store is aiming to reopen on Wednesday. “I wonder whether the smoke smell will be completely gone. As soon as we turn on the extraction system, you can still smell that smell.”
The fire damage is extra annoying for his store, says Benjamins. “Because we had just completely renovated our interior about a year and a half ago. Not that we now have such a super deluxe business, but it did look very cozy again. We will now have to do that work again, unfortunately.”
Benjamins compliments the fire brigade for their rapid response last Friday. “Of course our major concern was that the fire would spread to our store, but the fire brigade was able to prevent that.”
On the other side of the burned-out building is the Schrage flower and gift shop. This business also suffered smoke and water damage. The store is currently still closed. The owner announced via Facebook that he is currently looking for a temporary alternative location in order to quickly receive customers again.
The municipality of Coevorden has announced that it wants to support affected entrepreneurs “where possible”. “We are in contact with the affected retailers about this,” says spokesperson René Nanninga. “It is not the case that we immediately have alternative properties available, but there are other options in which we can assist entrepreneurs.”
It is not yet certain what will happen next with the burned-out building.