Amsterdam apartment building uninhabitable after major fire

The residents of the apartment building in Amsterdam, where a fire raged over the weekend, can not return home for the time being. All 95 apartments are uninhabitable until further notice, the fire department reported.

A major fire broke out in an apartment building on the Joan Muyskenweg in Amsterdam-Oost at around 8 p.m. on Saturday evening. According to the fire department, the building was so badly damaged that the residents can not safely return to their apartments.

In addition, the water damage is so extensive that the power supply cannot yet be restored. The technical equipment was severely damaged and must be replaced. The roof has been completely destroyed by the fire, and the facade needs to be repaired in some areas. It is still unclear how long the repairs will take.

Residents are currently being allowed to enter the building gradually and under escort on each floor to retrieve personal belongings. For next night, residents who cannot stay with friends or relatives will be placed in a hotel, just as they were the night before, according to a fire department spokesperson. The Amsterdam municipality is currently looking into what the aftermath will look like, according to a spokesperson for the municipality. More information will be announced at a later date.

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema visited those affected at the hotel on Saturday evening. On social media, she shared a message about it. She wrote that among those affected are many families with young children. "They are very shocked and sad. Fortunately, they were not injured," said the mayor, wishing the residents a lot of strength.

It was not until 02:30 a.m. that the fire was completely under control. According to NOS, the "fire was reported by a resident on the sixth floor. He reported that the fire was in the wall," the fire department spokesperson informed. The fire then "ran through the (cavity) wall to the roof," whereupon "the bitumen-insulated roof" caught fire, the fire department explained. Three residents who had inhaled smoke were examined by paramedics as a precaution. Dozens of apartments on various floors suffered significant fire, smoke and water damage, the fire department reported earlier.

AT5 reported that the police cleared a cannabis plantation from one of the apartments, as reportedly observed by a reporter at the scene. However, a police spokesperson could not say anything official about the matter Sunday afternoon. "The investigation is still ongoing," the police informed.