Scrap cargo ship fire in Amsterdam extinguished after nearly two days
A fire that broke out Thursday afternoon on a cargo ship loaded with scrap metal in Amsterdam’s Westelijk Havengebied was fully extinguished by around 8:45 p.m. Friday, the Amsterdam-Amstelland Safety Region reported.
The blaze started around 5 p.m. Thursday inside the ship’s hold, a hard-to-reach compartment, complicating firefighting efforts. A large plume of smoke was visible from multiple parts of the city as the fire persisted. Fire crews employed boats, ladder trucks, and cranes to apply water and remove burning scrap for extinguishing on shore or to douse it on-site if not actively ablaze.
Several NL-Alerts were issued starting Thursday evening advising residents to close windows and doors and turn off ventilation systems due to heavy smoke. The wind direction shifted early Friday, prompting a renewed NL-Alert specifically for Amsterdam’s city center.
Authorities received numerous reports from concerned residents complaining of breathing difficulties and some describing the smoke as having a chemical odor. However, fire department measurements confirmed there were no elevated levels of toxic substances in the smoke. The Safety Region advised residents to keep their homes sealed to prevent soot particles from entering and recommended removing soot from belongings with warm water and soap. They also warned against consuming vegetables from gardens exposed to soot fallout.
The cargo ship’s interior is divided into compartments. Initially, responders hoped to avoid removing all the scrap from the vessel. However, the fire spread to a second compartment, forcing a reassessment. Firefighters intended to clear this compartment but were unable to do so due to weakened and fallen hatches caused by the intense heat, making the scrap inaccessible.
