Six vehicles set ablaze overnight across the Netherlands; explosion in Rotterdam
An explosion damaged a car in Rotterdam and multiple vehicles were destroyed by fire overnight across the Netherlands, including separate incidents in Utrecht, Smilde, Emmen and Den Bosch, police and fire authorities reported. No injuries were reported.
According to De Telegraaf, in Rotterdam, two distinct incidents were reported. In the Feijenoord district, an explosion occurred near a parked car, forcing the hood open and leaving the vehicle heavily damaged. Authorities said it is unclear what caused the blast. The car has been seized for forensic investigation.
Elsewhere in Rotterdam, in the Delfshaven district, a taxibus and two passenger cars caught fire. The taxibus and one car were completely destroyed, while the third vehicle sustained severe damage.
The first reported vehicle fire of the night occurred late in the evening in Utrecht. A car parked near an apartment complex in the Overvecht neighborhood burned out completely.
In Smilde, in the province of Drenthe, a delivery van was found burning at a crossroads shortly after midnight. Firefighters arriving around 12:40 a.m. encountered a large group of onlookers, mainly youths, who sang, “Here is the fire department again,” as they watched crews extinguish the blaze. The van was destroyed.
The fire marked the third vehicle-related blaze in Smilde in a short period. In the night from Thursday to Friday, a trailer burned out at a crossroads, and two weeks earlier a scrapped car caught fire in the village. No arrests have been made in connection with any of the Smilde incidents.
In Emmen, also in Drenthe, a car burned out in a roadside verge in the Emmerhout neighborhood. Firefighters were alerted around 4:05 a.m. and were unable to prevent the vehicle from being completely destroyed. A separate car fire was reported in Emmen on Friday evening. Police are investigating the cause of both incidents.
In Den Bosch, in Noord-Brabant, a truck parked on an industrial estate at the edge of the city burned out. Firefighters brought the blaze under control quickly, but the vehicle could not be saved. A similar truck fire occurred at the same location about a month earlier.
