Woman seriously injured in fire after explosion at Oosterhout home

An explosion in the Noord-Brabant municipality of Oosterhout resulted in a large fire that raged through the townhome style residence. One woman living in the home on Langenhof was seriously injured.

She was taken to an area hospital in critical condition with serious burn wounds. Nine homes were evacuated, and the residents were sheltered in the area, the regional emergency services office reported.

The fire started around 11:40 p.m. and was under control by about 1:15 p.m. The fire alarm was struck out just before 2 a.m. Both the front and rear facades of the home were severely damaged.

An explosion was also heard after the fire broke out. The fire brigade responded with several units and tried to prevent the fire from spreading to surrounding buildings.

Emergency services workers suspect that there was a gas explosion, an explosion involving heavy fireworks, or perhaps a combination of both, the regional office said. "There is no reason to think that this was an attack." The woman who was hurt may have had prior encounters with police, the emergency services spokesperson said.

Police said on Saturday morning they were investigating the incident. They did not give a statement about the possible cause of the explosion and fire. For security reasons, forensic investigators cannot enter the home until Sunday at the earliest, according to a police spokesperson.

Mayor Mark Buijs went to the scene and spent time speaking with the affected households. The residents of five homes were able to return during the early morning hours. The remaining group of affected people were temporarily housed elsewhere.