Senior center fire reinvestigated after contradictory reports

A new independent investigation into the fire at elderly home De Notenhout in Nijmegen that left 4 inhabitants dead in late February should take place as soon as possible, state political parties GroenLinks, United Senior Party (VSP) and Gewoon Nijmegen. Other Nijmegen council groups want to wait until the political debate about the existing reports blows over, but still want doubts and controversy surrounding the conclusions to be dealt with, newspaper De Gelderlander writes. The previous reports suggest that no mistakes were made in the provision of building permits for the residential area, and the cafeteria where the fire started. GroenLinks sees a contradiction in the results of the reports made by Nijmegen building control expert Nico Scholten and statements from the Gelderland-Zuid regional fire department. "It is necessary that there is a clarity about the facts," Pepijn Boekhorst, GroenLinks Nijmegen chairman stated to Gelderlander. The Nijmegen city council invited Scholten to a debate in which his findings would have been questioned, but the building control expert refused the invitation. The council also published more substantial statement about the criticism of the fire investigation on Saturday.