One killed, seven hurt in Rotterdam apartment fire

A fire on the 7th floor of an apartment building on Söderblomplaats in Rotterdam left one person dead on Thursday night. Seven others were taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, AD report.

The fire started in the victim's apartment. Emergency services tried to resuscitate the 62-year-old man, but it was to no avail. The fire was difficult to extinguish because the apartment in which it started was very messy, according to the newspaper. Firefighters managed to keep the fire from spreading to other apartments, and around 2:30 a.m. on Friday the brigade announced that it was extinguished.

The apartment building, which consists of 20 floors and 160 apartments, was partly evacuated. Everyone on the 6th floor and above had to leave their homes due to smoke and carbon monoxide. Residents on the lower five floors were allowed to stay after their homes were properly ventilated.

Er gaan ontelbaar veel flesjes water mee naar binnen met de brandweer. De lieden zijn zwaar bepakt en moeten 20 verdiepingen beklimmen pic.twitter.com/pi0ONiLjeT

— Jitske-Sophie Venema (@jitskesophie) October 12, 2017

Tweede peloton brandweerlieden staat klaar om brandende flat in te gaan. Derde is onderweg. #soderblomplaats pic.twitter.com/ywXGSKa7eI

— Jitske-Sophie Venema (@jitskesophie) October 12, 2017

Op de vele hoge balkons zijn nog steeds bewoners en brandweerlieden te zien. pic.twitter.com/DRHaWpUBvW

— Jitske-Sophie Venema (@jitskesophie) October 12, 2017

Bevestigd: een dode bij brand in hoge flat aan de Söderblomplaats in Rotterdam. pic.twitter.com/uogvKOGVzC

— Jitske-Sophie Venema (@jitskesophie) October 12, 2017

Soderblomplaats Rotterdam: Mens en dier worden worden in veiligheid gesteld. Nieuw peloton gaat de flat in. #grip2 #zeergrotebrand pic.twitter.com/LdSC7MqUJP

— MediaTV (@mediatvnl) October 12, 2017