Explosions during Purmerend warehouse blaze; Two injured

A large fire at a Purmerend warehouse left two people injured on Thursday. Several explosions were heard during the incident, with firefighters needing several hours before they were able to issue an all-clear signal.

A localized NL-Alert was issued in connection with the fire because the incident caused a substantial amount of smoke. Area residents as far as 15 kilometers south in Amsterdam-Noord told to keep their windows and doors shut until the smoke dissipated, and others nearby were told not to come to the scene of the fire, the Zaanstreek-Waterland regional emergency office said.

#brand #Baanstede #Purmerend pic.twitter.com/Igm1lzwfPF

— Charl (@Charlvanzijl) April 16, 2020

The incident was first reported as a large fire at 11:53, with firefighters arriving at the Weberstaat location soon after. Within minutes the alarm was elevated twice, first to a "very large fire" and then to a Grip 1 regional calamity. The latter is issued when incidents require the presence fo emergency personnel from several offices, and all personnel are then coordinated under a single command officer.

Brand in Weberstraat (video) https://t.co/gbujBOCSAp pic.twitter.com/ggaIkHXfzg

— Groot-Waterland (@groot_waterland) April 16, 2020

The two injured people were transported to an area hospital, the emergency office confirmed by 1 p.m. Neither their condition nor the extent of their injuries was revealed.

Eventually, firefighters brought the flames under control. The fire was struck out just before 2 p.m., emergency personnel said. The NL-Alert was subsequently withdrawn.

😵😵😵😵 #Purmerend pic.twitter.com/szJ1kxbuvn

— 🎃 D3BBY 🍁 (@xHertogin) April 16, 2020

https://twitter.com/BestMates_yt/status/1250734258135740420

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuZyGtnANjE

Op dit moment assisteren wij bij de brand in de Weberstraat. Heb je last van de rook? Sluit ramen, deuren en zet mechanische ventilatie uit. Blijf uit de rook! #leefbaarenveilig pic.twitter.com/7K27RHiJiq

— Handhaving Purmerend (@handhaving1441) April 16, 2020