A spokesperson for the Amsterdam-Amstelland Safety Region spoke by telephone of a “huge fire” in the Vondelkerk. Because the fire brigade is also dealing with incidents in other places in the city around the turn of the year, assistance has been called in from the region, including from Haarlem. “It is so busy, we need help,” said the spokesperson.
Getting the fire under control is made more difficult because the area is very busy and emergency services have difficulty getting through. According to the safety region, many people are watching from a distance, which is dangerous. They not only hinder access for emergency services, but are themselves at risk from ‘flying fire’, burning particles that are sucked up and fall back down again.
For this reason, an NL Alert was sent in Amsterdam at 1:59 a.m. calling for people to keep a safe distance and to give emergency services space. Local residents are also urged to close windows and doors.
An NRC reporter on site sees that the fire is spreading rapidly and that the area cordoned off by the police and fire brigade is constantly expanding and is now several hundred meters. She also sees that more and more homes are being evacuated.
Mayor Femke Halsema came to take stock of the fire. In an initial response, she speaks of “a very serious and terrible fire in this monumental church” and states that “our first concern and priority is now for the well-being and homes of those living directly nearby.”
Bystanders expect that the church can no longer be saved. One of them, Wouter Huisman, saw the spire on fire from the Overtoom and decided to walk towards the church. Because there was already the necessary fire brigade present, he thought that the church might be saved and that it would only be during rush hour. “But at a certain point you saw the fire going down and the flames in the glass and lead in the middle part,” is how he describes the fire.
The destruction of the church hurts local residents. “Three days ago I said to my daughters ‘what a beautiful church it is’,” says Julie Arphie. Local residents tell NRC that they are afraid that the fire will spread.
The fire brigade tried to extinguish the fire in Amsterdam’s Vondelkerk on Wednesday night.
Photo LAURENS NIEZEN / ANP