The emergency services were called out en masse last night for a very large fire at the Osdorper Ban in Amsterdam Nieuw-West. Several victims were taken to hospital. Local residents report that they heard an explosion before the fire. Photos show a large hole in the wall of an outbuilding, which may be part of a gym. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
- Around 12:15 am, an explosion took place at the Osdorper Ban in Amsterdam Nieuw-West, after which a major fire broke out.
- Emergency services responded en masse. The fire brigade is still extinguishing the fire. Several victims were taken to hospital. It is not yet known how they are doing.
- Photos show a large hole in the wall of an outbuilding that, according to local residents, houses a gym. The cause of the explosion and fire is under investigation.
The residents of the flat who had to leave their home are accommodated at the city counter on Osdorpplein, a ten-minute walk from the affected flat. “The GVB uses buses, but residents can also come there themselves,” says a spokesperson for the Safety Region.
The fire brigade was still busy extinguishing the fire and evacuating the apartment at around 2.20 am. According to a bystander, GVB buses have been used to transport evacuated residents to a reception location. It is not yet known how many people have had to leave their homes.
The emergency services scaled up to GRIP 2 around 1:10 am, something that hardly occurs in Amsterdam.
GRIP 2 is declared if ‘the deployment of emergency services outside the location of the incident (source area) is also necessary’. A Regional Operational Team (ROT) will then be set up.
“The team collects information, advises and coordinates”, it says on the fire department’s website. “Regardless of the location of the incident, the ROT meets at a fixed location in the region. This is often the office of the safety region. The ROT is led by an Operational Manager. The basic principle is that the ROT focuses on the (possible) effects of the incident. The ROT is the highest operational level within regional disaster response and crisis management.”
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