Several hurt in explosion at health care center

By Zack Newmark on October 6, 2015 - 12:17
Hoogeveen blast
An explosion destroyed part of a healthcare facility in Hoogeveen. Oct. 6, 2015 (photo: Rene Nanninga / Twitter). (An explosion destroyed part of a healthcare facility in Hoogeveen. Oct. 6, 2015 (photo: Rene Nanninga / Twitter))

An explosion in a Hoogeveen health care facility and residence on Tuesday morning left at least one person seriously injured. Several others were being treated at the scene after the blast, the Drenthe Regional Safety Office announced.

“There are wounded. Severity and number [is] still unknown. Building is being evacuated,” the safety office announced on Twitter.

Seven people live at the AMA-INA care facility on Pottingastraat, reported local news website Hoogeveensche Courant. At least four people were home at the time of the explosion, which took place in a corner apartment.

Of those four, two were taken in by a near-by church, and a third was being cared for by family, reported RTV Drenthe. It is not clear if the fourth person is the seriously wounded patient.

The intensity of the blast shattered windows around the neighborhood, and prompted first responders to declare a Grip One emergency at the scene.

The explosion was first reported in the Drenthe village at 11:09 a.m. The Grip One alert was sent less than ten minutes later as dozens of emergency crews raced to the scene.

By 11:45 a.m. the fire was reportedly extinguished.

A Grip One alarm is issued when an emergency requires more precise coordination between responding authorities. A command post is established at the scene with one person designated as the team leader who issues all orders. The local mayor is kept in the loop, and the fire department's regional commander, the police district chief, and the public health director are all notified of the incident.

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