A 36-year-old man from Best was arrested on Thursday for a fire in a Rotterdam church building in the Overschie district. He is suspected of involvement in the fire. The police suspect arson. The fire broke out around a quarter to eleven on Wednesday evening.
The fire caused the roof of the church building on Oranjestraat to collapse. The property must be considered lost.
Eviction
Homes in the area were evacuated on Wednesday evening. Those who lived near the fire have now returned home.
A spokesperson for the Rotterdam-Rijnmond Safety Region said that the residents of the ten to fifteen evacuated homes were able to return last night. Some of them had now sought shelter with family or acquaintances.
Rented
The church building is rented out during the week, but there were no people inside when the fire started, says the spokesperson for the safety region. The website of the Bethel Church, which is located in the building, states that a meeting took place until ten o’clock.