It was quite a shock yesterday for the users of the De Liede industrial estate in Vijfhuizen. A warehouse at one of the many car companies on the site went up in flames. Employees of the surrounding companies were unable to leave their premises for hours due to the massive presence of the fire brigade.
This had everything to do with the kilometers of fire hoses that had been laid from the adjacent Ringvaart to the car company at the back of the business park. Fire brigades from miles around responded to the large fire. A fire extinguisher had also arrived from Schiphol.
As a result, cars from most companies on De Liede could not leave their grounds. A truck driver who is just about to leave a scrap metal shop stands next to his truck, somewhat dismayed: “It won’t happen that way, with all those hoses. But yes, if things break out in our house, you would also want them to extinguish the mess as quickly as possible.” to have.”
His colleague is less concerned, he has just finished his working day: “I’ll just throw my scooter over that hose and we’ll be home in no time.” He wasn’t really impressed by the fire itself: “It’s a few streets away, so we weren’t very afraid of the fire. And luckily the smoke blew away from us, otherwise I would have gotten away by now. “
Once closer to the fire, the severity among bystanders also increases. The damage to the car parts company’s warehouse is enormous and the building can no longer be saved. The company’s neighbor watches from behind a fire truck: “It makes you a bit quiet, you wouldn’t wish this on anyone. Suddenly you have lost everything. And let’s hope that things don’t turn out too bad for the injured.”
Nightmare scenario
A spokesperson for the Kennemerland Safety Region confirmed yesterday that three people had been injured in the fire. All three suffered from breathing problems. One of them had to be checked in the hospital, the other two ended with a visit to the doctor.
An acquaintance of the owner of the company confirmed on location that the three had inhaled smoke. Between phone calls with family, friends and insurance, he stares blankly at the smoldering remains of his workplace. “This really is a nightmare scenario,” he quickly says before he takes the fire brigade onto the site.
The neighbor of the burned down warehouse, a garage owner, shrugs his shoulders: “It is of course too sad for words, but fortunately there are only broken things. The insurance will probably take care of everything. But that is easy for us to say, We just lost out on some business.”