Eight hurt in Rotterdam apartment building fire; woman jumps from 2nd floor window

Eight people were hospitalized with injuries sustained in a fire in an apartment building in Rotterdam Zuid on Sunday night. Among the injured are a baby and a woman who jumped from a second floor window when smoke prevented her from using the stairs, AD reports.

Emergency workers checked a total of 25 people for injuries. Many of them suffered from smoke inhalation. Eight people were taken to hospital by ambulance, including the woman who jumped out of the window and the baby. The extent of their injuries is unclear.

The fire started in the basement of the building on Havikhorst and the smoke quickly spread into the stairwell. The fire brigade evacuated a total of eight homes. Some residents had to be rescued with a raised platform.

Firefighters quickly managed to get the fire under control. "The fire wasn't much. It was mainly the smoke that spread rapidly and created a dangerous situation," a spokesperson for the local safety office said to AD.

The evacuated residents had to spend the night elsewhere. Some were taken in by family, and a hotel was arranged for the rest.