In Leek, just across the border near Roden, a fire broke out at recycling company Hummel in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.
The fire brigade soon scaled up to ‘very large fire’ and GRIP 1. This means that the surrounding buildings are being evacuated.
Witnesses said loud explosions were heard. It is not yet clear what caused the explosions.
The fire brigade is on site with large equipment. The corps of Leek, Roden, Marum, Zuidhorn, Peize and the city of Groningen, among others, have been deployed.
A lot of smoke is released during the fire. The fire brigade advises to keep windows and doors closed and to switch off ventilation systems. An NL-Alert was also issued, although it was not yet clear at 5:45 am whether it had been received everywhere. “If necessary, it will go out again”, said fire brigade spokesman Edwin Oosterheerd opposite RTV North.
It is not yet clear how many sheds are on fire. “The sheds are compartmentalised, but exactly how many are on fire is not yet clear,” said the spokesperson.
As far as the spokesman knows, there were no casualties in the fire.