At least one dead in Hague apartment fire

A large fire broke out in an apartment building in the center of The Hague around 02:00 on Tuesday morning. At least one man was killed in the fire, another three people were taken to the hospital with injuries. According to the fire department, one of them is in a "serious condition", the Telegraaf reports. The fire broke out on the first floor of the building on Torenstraat and quickly spread to the second floor. Other floors have smoke and water damage. Surrounding homes were evacuated. According to the fire department, 33 people were given shelter at a nearby police station. The deceased man was brought out of the building by firefighters. Emergency services tried to resuscitate him, but to o avail. He died at the scene. The three wounded people are believed to be residents of the building. The fire is difficult to reach from both the front and the back of the building and firefighters had to use a lot of material, including fire engines, to reach the blaze. Firefighters have since gotten the fire under control. Six police officers who responded to the fire were treated by ambulance staff for smoke inhalation. They did not need to go to the hospital. According to the fire department, about 12 homes will not be inhabitable in the short term. "The municipality will arrange for shelter, in consultation with the residents. It looks as though some will be accommodated in a hotel", a spokesperson for the fire brigade said to the Telegraaf. There are stores on the ground floor of the building and it seems likely that those located directly below the fire will not be able to open on Tuesday. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Een dode, aantal gewonden en 23 mensen geëvacueerd na felle brand in de Torenstraat in Den Haag pic.twitter.com/h8ITF7jJn3

— Omroep West (@omroepwest) July 21, 2015

Bij een brand aan de Torenstaat in Den Haag is één dode gevallen. Drie anderen zijn gewond http://t.co/DI1z3I7h2Q pic.twitter.com/0A2ESe8Rr8

— RTL Nieuws (@RTLnieuws) July 21, 2015

Dode bij felle brand in Den Haag.http://t.co/fO5dI1oYzh pic.twitter.com/9Zr8hgnhrS

— RTL Nieuws (@RTLnieuws) July 21, 2015