Major apartment fire in Hilversum may be an arson case; 2 hurt, 1 arrested

A massive fire which broke out late on Saturday night in Hilversum is possibly a case of arson, police in the Noord-Holland city said. One suspect was in custody for the incident at the Koninginneweg apartment building, which left two people with minor injuries.

Koninginneweg #Hilversum: Er is inmiddels opgeschaald naar "zeer grote brand, GRIP1". Bij een woning is de brandweer aan de achterzijde o.a. sloopwerkzaamheden aan het verrichten om de brand te bestrijden. pic.twitter.com/eWPU9QafYF

— Hulpverleners uit het Gooi (@HulpverlenerGV) January 13, 2024

"We have arrested one of the residents of the building in question on suspicion of possible involvement in the fire," police said on social media. "The suspect is in custody for the ongoing investigation and interrogation."

The fire broke out in an upstairs apartment, and was first reported about 10:40 p.m. First responders evacuated the adjoining apartments and buildings, rescuing about 20 people in total, the Gooi and Vechtstreek regional emergency services office announced.

One person was taken to an area hospital for evaluation. A second injured person was treated at the scene.

The response was scaled up dramatically within 30 minutes. The adjoining buildings have commercial spaces on the ground floor with apartments on the two floors above them.

Authorities declared a Grip 1 local emergency, a protocol where all first responders unite under a single incident command post.