At least one hurt in The Hague after homeless shelter fire, explosion

An explosion caused a fire at a homeless shelter on Assendelftstraat in the center of The Hague early on Wednesday morning. One person was injured and taken to the hospital. The police are looking for a suspect.

The suspect set off an explosive at the shelter at around 6:30 a.m., Omroep West reports. The building in question is owned by Steadion and used by KesslerPerspektief to house homeless and other socially vulnerable people.

All residents of the 17 rooms had to evacuate the building and ended up standing on the street, some dressed in a bathrobe or wrapped in a towel.

The blast shattered several windows. It is unclear how much damage the fire caused, but the facade is covered in soot, Omroep West wrote.

Residents saw a man running away from the scene shortly after the blast. The police released his description. He is approximately 1.8 meters tall, around 30 years old, with a slim build, tanned skin, and black hair and beard. He was wearing a white shirt.