Large fire halts train between Deventer and Apeldoorn

A large fire destroyed four business buildings on Nijverheidsstraat in Twello during the early hours of Monday morning. No one was hurt. Asbestos was released in the fire, and some of it ended up on adjacent train tracks. For that reason no trains are running between Apeldoorn and Deventer until at least 10:30 a.m., De Stentor reports.

The fire broke out in interior store Colors@Home around 2:30 a.m. Firefighters responded in large numbers, but despite their best effort, could not stop the fire from spreading to three adjacent buildings. All four buildings can be considered lost. The buildings' gas and electricity were switched off, and firefighters used a crane to pull the debris apart - so that the fire could be extinguished more easily. The fire department had the fire under control around 5:00 a.m., but is still working on extinguishing it completely.

Asbestos was released during the fire. Local safety office Veiligheidsregio Noord- en Oost-Gelderland initially believed that this was limited to the site of the fire itself, but traces of the carcinogenic substance was later also found on train tracks that run alongside the buildings, spokesperson Frank Lutke said to the newspaper. Cleaning up the tracks will take up a large part of the morning. Train traffic between Apeldoorn and Deventer is halted until at least 10:30 a.m.

The fire also caused large amounts of smoke. Local residents are advised to stay out of the smoke, keep their windows and doors closed, and turn of their home's ventilation system.