Explosion in Rotterdam home uncovers drug lab; Major fire in Venlo

An explosion in a house early Sunday morning in Rotterdam-Zuid uncovered a drug lab. The explosion is suspected to have come from inside the house, but whether the drug lab was actually the cause of the explosion has yet to be investigated. Shortly after the explosion, a fire broke out. According to the police, no one was injured.

Op de Terentiusstraat in Rotterdam-Zuid heeft vanochtend vroeg een explosie plaatsgevonden. Niemand raakte gewond. In de woning werd een drugslab ontdekt. Of het lab de oorzaak is van de explosie zal nader worden onderzocht. https://t.co/jny4TrpRuZ

— Politie Eenheid Rotterdam eo (@POL_Rotterdam) July 14, 2024

Een drugslab heeft in een woning op de eerste etage van een portiekflat aan de Terentiusstraat in Rotterdam een explosie veroorzaakt. Door de klap werd een compleet kozijn uit de gevel geblazen. 12 woningen werden ontruimd.https://t.co/O0dRW1FLTM pic.twitter.com/DpWV0qbG5f

— MediaTV (@mediatvnl) July 14, 2024

The explosion occurred at 3:30 a.m. in an apartment building in Terentiusstraat. Twelve apartments were evacuated as a precaution. After the fire department had taken measurements in the affected apartments, the residents were allowed to return home after about an hour.

Officers found a complete window frame on the street after the explosion, as it had been blown out of the facade by the impact. Several drugs and products used to process drugs were found in the house. A firearm was also found, the police reported.

However, no one was in the house during the explosion, and no one has been arrested yet. The National Dismantling Facility will dismantle the drug lab.

Major fire in Venlo business premises

A major fire broke out at a company in Venlo on Saturday evening. The fire department reported that a lot of smoke was being released and advised residents to stay away from the smoke and close windows and doors.

Grote brand op bedrijventerrein Venlo(Limburg) 1307024
De melding van de brand kwam even na 22.00 uur binnen. De brandweer schaalde snel op naar zeer grote brand. Eén correspondent ter plaatse laat weten dat er volgens aanwezige agenten mogelijk asbest is vrijgekomen. pic.twitter.com/FJSHF5Qc0Q

— john l (@Maeestro) July 13, 2024

Brand uitgebroken ergens rondom ballorig Venlo pic.twitter.com/I5oArNvQrZ

— R (@Rochdi321) July 13, 2024

On Sunday morning, the fire department announced that there is no longer a risk that the fire will spread further. At the moment, only after-extinguishing work is being carried out, Omroep Venlo wrote. The fire raged in a building in Groethofstraat, an industrial area northeast of Venlo.

The Limburg-Noord Safety Region announced on X that the fire was upgraded to a GRIP situation on Saturday. This means that the emergency services and support teams are fighting the incident together. Due to the smoke and possible asbestos particles in the smoke, an NL-Alert was also triggered.