5 hospitalized in overnight Hague fire; Several rescued from roof

Five people were taken to the hospital following a fire that broke out in a shop in The Hague just after midnight on Monday. Several homes adjacent apartments were evacuated after the fire began to spread to the apartments located above the shop, RTL Nieuws reported.

The fire broke out around 12:20 a.m. on Weissenbruchstraat in the Benoordenhout district of The Hague. Records show that the alarm was elevated twice in the first 20 minutes, and additional ambulances were dispatched over the following hour.

The fire brigade had to evacuate six homes, and five residents required hospitalization. "They inhaled smoke and were taken to hospital by ambulance car," the fire brigade representative said.

During the fire, three people were rescued from the roof with a cherry picker. According to the spokesperson, the residents of at least two apartments cannot return for the time being. "We will see if the others can do that."

The fire was put under control around 1:40 a.m. The cause of the blaze was still under investigation later Monday morning.