Asylum center on ship in Zaandam evacuated over fire

Around 300 asylum seekers were evacuated from the ship they were staying on in Zaandam due to a fire overnight. No one got hurt, but two residents and two security personnel were checked over by paramedics for smoke inhalation, the local safety office, Veiligheisregio Zaanstreek-Waterland, said on X.

The Veiligheidsregio reported the fire at around 2:30 a.m. The cause is still unknown. The sprinkler system extinguished it, said the safety office, which coordinates the region's emergency services, at around 3:50 a.m.

The fire department responded in large numbers. This is because of “the number of people staying there, the night-time situation, and for taking care of the people,” a spokesperson for the safety office told ANP.

Most of the residents could return to their rooms after a few hours. Some couldn’t due to water damage that occurred while the fire was being extinguished. They were taken in elsewhere in the area.

The asylum shelter is on the Borealis, a floating platform in the Zaandam quay that has room for 320 people.