Video: Two arrested after suspected arson sparks apartment fire in Waalwijk
Two men were arrested after a short but intense apartment fire forced the overnight evacuation of a residential complex in Waalwijk, in Noord-Brabant. According to NOS, the police are treating the blaze as suspected arson and have called in a military bomb disposal unit to assist, although the exact reason behind their involvement has not been disclosed.
The fire broke out overnight, from Friday to Saturday, in an apartment in a complex on Diederikhof. Police said the blaze was brief but fierce, creating heavy smoke and posing enough danger that the entire building had to be evacuated.
The two men arrested, according to the police, were inside the apartment where the fire originated. They were taken into custody and are being questioned. Authorities said they suspect arson.
Several dozen people gathered outside and watched as firefighters brought the fire under control, police told NOS. Afterward, some residents were allowed to return to their apartments. However, people living in units directly next to the affected apartment were not yet permitted to go back inside.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. As part of that inquiry, police enlisted the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Command of the Dutch Armed Forces, the Dutch military’s explosive ordnance disposal service. Police have not disclosed why exactly the unit was called in.
