A day after a major fire in Tilburg, Willie de Fijter (52) recovered from the shock, but that was different on Wednesday evening. A big fire raged at her neighbors, dog Lilo was home alone. The door was smashed to save the animal.
“My dog is my everything,” Willie says, standing in the doorway with Lilo. The damage is also considerable in her house. “But that will be resolved,” she says matter-of-factly. When she got home, she briefly feared that the fire was raging at her home. “The fire was at the neighbors, but the smoke also came from under my door.”
The dog was left with nothing. “He was a bit upset in the evening, but fortunately he is completely healthy.”
Willie was not allowed back into her home until hours after the fire, because the fire brigade still had to take measurements. She can continue to live at home, but the damage is significant. “There is even more damage than you can see. It’s also in the wall. The expert who was here said it could take up to a year before everything is resolved.”
“Repairing that damage will come later.”
According to Willie, the ceiling needs to be replaced and the wall repaired, among other things. There is also damage outside in the garden: the fence has partly burned and the lounge sofa has partly melted away. “But I’m especially happy that I still have my dog. Repairing that damage will come later,” she says with relief.
Willie’s neighbor was injured in the fire and taken to hospital. The house is currently uninhabitable.
