Even though they were prepared, the blow hit Joke and Frits Kool hard. Their house, which was severely damaged in the fire at Velderwoude Castle in Den Bosch, must be demolished. A total of 7 of the 22 homes, which are uninhabitable after the fire in the parking garage on January 17, must be completely demolished and rebuilt.
“The pillars under our house are like Bastognekoek, if you tap on them the pieces of concrete fall off,” says Joke Kool. Together with her husband Frits, she found shelter with a friend in Engelen immediately after the devastating fire. “I’m still wearing the same clothes as when we had to flee from the fire,” says Joke. “I’m also in borrowed clothes and will finally buy something new next week,” adds Frits.
“We have to consider everything that is left in our house as lost. We are not allowed to enter our house because the concrete is as cooked as butter and could collapse at any moment. Moreover, everything is covered in a thick layer of soot. There are still photo albums of our wedding day and photos from when the children were small. The fact that everything is gone is very intense,” says Frits.
“We are often emotional when you think about what will happen next.”
Joke and Frits Kool have spent the past two weeks after the fire with laughter and tears. “It is heart-warming to notice how everyone sympathizes and to see what people are willing to do for you. On the other hand, we also have sleepless nights and are often emotional when you think about what to do next,” says Joke. “Luckily we were able to buy a second-hand car so that we at least have transport again.”
Together with some other affected residents, Joke and Frits will soon be able to go to Zandleij, a holiday park near Cromvoirt. “The demolition and rebuilding of our destroyed house may take three years, and if all goes wrong, even longer, so we don’t know if we still want that at our age. Maybe we will find another place in the meantime.” where we want to live and then we leave Velderwoude for what it was,” says Frits Kool.
“We live day by day. I bought a notebook in which I keep track of what needs to be done every day and when it is done I cross it out again and so we continue. Fortunately, we are positive and especially very happy with all the help that we get. Even when things go wrong, you have to look ahead and I hope we can keep that going,” says Frits with a small smile.
The fire in the parking garage started after a resident became unwell and drove his car into a wall. The fire quickly spread to other cars and the total of 52 homes and 34 apartments above the parking garage. Most people were able to return to their homes shortly after the fire. Residents of 22 of the apartments could not enter their homes because it was not safe.
This is what the parking garage looked like after the fire:
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