Resident Bryan of the tiny house in Eindhoven that was destroyed by fire, comes to assess the damage. He was not at home when the fire broke out on Tuesday evening. “Fortunately, just look at the trees, they are black with fire.” There is nothing left of the household effects, he has lost everything.
In two days it will be Bryan’s birthday and he will be 48. But it will not be a party this year. He has lost all his belongings and is now placed in an emergency shelter. “I loved living here,” Bryan says. He shows pictures of the interior before the fire on his mobile phone. It looked cozy. There were many plants in the living room. No, no cannabis plants as some say, he says. Bryan thinks the fire is lit.
a mess
The twelve houses are sandwiched between a business park and the highway. “Here you don’t hear birds chirping in the morning, but trucks thunder past,” says one resident. The Tiny Houses are inhabited by people who have nowhere else to go. Almost everyone who lives there has addiction problems. It’s kind of a terminal.
An old resident also comes to take a look. “It’s a big mess here. There’s no surveillance at night. There should be security here, but it shouldn’t cost anything,” he says. “Look how high the grass is everywhere and there is rubbish everywhere.”
nail it up
The maintenance men also come to have a look at the blackened house. They can do little more than nail things down. Eventually the house will go to the flat. The Sint Trudo housing association, which is the owner, says that they will consult with the insurance company about how to proceed. “Fortunately there are no injuries”, Trudo says. The houses meet fire protection standards, according to Trudo. Other housing is being sought for the resident.