LOOK. Huge fire on an industrial estate in the Netherlands: aid workers hindered by bystanders | Abroad

People would even put chairs outside to watch the fire from a relaxed position, says the safety region.

The fire may have started in a timber trade on Hertog van Beijerenstraat in the village of Ter Aar, in the municipality of Nieuwkoop. The fire quickly spread to other neighboring businesses, including a furniture store. An NL-alert has now also been sent out. This is an alarm device from the Dutch government that informs people in the neighborhood about an emergency

There would also be solar panels ablaze. This allows particles of glass to fall from the sky. “These are not toxic, but they are sharp,” said the security region, which says that residents can carefully clean up the particles themselves.

The fire brigade is hindered by people who come to see the fire, a spokesperson reports to the Dutch newspaper ‘AD’. “Don’t come here”, is the urgent appeal. “We are currently being hindered by people who come to watch,” said a spokesman for the Hollands Midden Security Region.

According to him, there are people nearby who watch the fire under the cloud of smoke. “Stay out of the smoke and go home. The fire is not yet ‘under control’ and the smoke is only increasing because we are currently extinguishing it.” Curious bystanders are therefore sent home by agents. “Get out of the street,” it sounds.

Roads in the area are closed. Not everyone understands that. A reporter at the scene reports that the police are increasingly dealing with people who think they can pass by anyway.

Mayor Robbert-Jan van Duijn has seen with his own eyes how the fire is spreading this evening and tonight. “At a safe distance I was able to see with my own eyes how the emergency services are working hard to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading. I sympathize with the affected entrepreneurs,” he writes on Twitter.

Large black clouds of smoke can be seen in the surrounding area and people in the area report explosions caused by the fire. Fire trucks come and go to fight the fire.

The fire service has now scaled up the situation to ‘very large fire’. GRIP-2 has also been announced, which means that there is a coordinated deployment of the emergency services with several security regions.

It is unknown how the fire started or if anyone was injured. Many people report on social media that they see the plume of smoke, even from Noordwijk, tens of kilometers away.