Two hurt in Gelderland house fire; Arson suspected

Two people were hurt in a massive house fire in the Gelderland town of Hedel during the early hours of Wednesday morning. One was taken to hospital by ambulance. Arson may have been involved, the Gelderland police said on Twitter.

The fire on Ammerzondenseweg was first reported to the emergency services shortly after 3:00 a.m. Local residents reported hearing a loud bang and finding the house completely ablaze, Brabants Dagblad reported. The house was completely burned out two hours later.

Emergency services responded to the fire in large numbers, with fire brigades coming from Hedel, Gameren, Nederhemert, Waardenburg, and Beneden-Leeuwen. A trauma helicopter was deployed from Volkel, and there were multiple ambulances at the scene. Mayor Henry van Kooten also came to take a look. 

Firefighters managed to prevent the fire spreading to the stables behind it. The horses inside the stable were brought to safety, a spokesperson for the local security region, Veligheidsregio Gelderland-Zuid, said to the newspaper.