Large fire spreads across several Amsterdam Oost rooftops

By Byron Mühlberg on May 23, 2020 - 16:06
Fire swept across the rooftops on Ruyschstraat in Amsterdam-Oost. May 23, 2020
Fire swept across the rooftops on Ruyschstraat in Amsterdam-Oost. May 23, 2020Arine Huijboom Twitter (supplied to NL Times)

A large fire broke out on the Ruyschstraat in Amsterdam Oost on Saturday afternoon. Firefighters were still on the scene at about 4:30 p.m., and up to that point no injuries had been reported

The fire brigade was dispatched to the scene at approximately 2:50 p.m. One witness told NL Times the fire quickly spread to several nearby buildings, which the fire department also confirmed.

The flames broke out on a rooftop terrace at an apartment building, and spread to five different buildings. The alarm was escalated twice within a few minutes of firefighters arriving on scene, bringing more equipment and personnel out to the location. Police were also sent to the scene to assist.

"The damage at the rooftop apartments is not much, and there are no injuries reported," a fire brigade spokesperson told NL Times. The fire was under control, but had not yet been struck out at 4:30 p.m. The cause of the blaze is so far unknown and would be investigated.

The fire department did caution residents downwind of the smoke to close their windows and doors, and to shut off their ventilation systems until the smoke clears.

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