Apartment explosion leaves several hurt in Heerlen

At least one person was injured in an explosion in a flat on Van Weerden Poelmanstraat in Heerlen on Monday morning. The top floor of the four-story apartment building was almost completely destroyed, 1Limburg reports. A resident of the area told 1Limburg that several people were injured. Windows in the area shattered and there is debris everywhere. The apartment where the explosion happened is believed to have been completely empty. "I saw one person lying on the ground, who was transported by ambulance," eyewitness Rob Sporken told RTL. "The building is completely opened up. It is something you see on television shows about war zones. It's really scary." He said the apartments there were not occupied because of building renovations, but a used book exchange operates from the ground floor. Glass shards from the explosion fell 50 to 100 meters from the scene, he added. "It's fortunate that there are not more victims. The building is located on a route near an elementary school; With flying debris there might have been a disastrous end," he said. The explosion was called in at 8:37 a.m. as a Grip 1 emergency response, though local media reports the explosion taking place closer to 8:00 a.m. It was raised to a Grip 2 alarm by about 8:45 a.m. Fire fighters were working nearby at Burgermeester Waszinkstraat 59, less than 100 meters away from the street address of the explosion prior to the 8:37 a.m. alarm. Authorities declare a Grip 2 alarm for emergency incidents that can potentially affect the immediate area. A single commander is designated from the people in charge of all responding services. The mayor of the affected area is kept informed, with both regional and municipal teams determining the next steps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyhinoOy44U

Ontploffing richting Burg Waszinkstraat Heerlen pic.twitter.com/4aFApuvPgq

— Henry VeltⓇp (@henryveltrop) April 20, 2015

Explosie verwoest flat Heerlen http://t.co/Vy1IQEahOP pic.twitter.com/GYjTfuOad6

— RTL Nieuws (@RTLnieuws) April 20, 2015