Large fire in Amsterdam's De Pijp district; Several hurt, 1 pulled from burning building
A large fire is raging in a store on Ferdinand Bolstraat in Amsterdam’s De Pijp neighborhood on Tuesday morning. Multiple people were injured, and several were taken to a hospital for treatment, a spokesperson for the fire department confirmed to NH Nieuws. An ANP photographer saw emergency services pull one person from a building, placing them on a stretcher and taking them away by ambulance.
The fire is raging on Ferdinand Bolstraat near Quellijnstraat and Heinekenplein. Firefighters are going in and out of the block of four-story buildings with residences above the ground-floor storefronts, including a dry cleaner shop and several bars and restaurants. According to the ANP photographer, the fire started in a shop next to the Irish pub O’Donnell’s.
Records show that the emergency services received the first report of the blaze at 5:13 a.m. Firefighters, paramedics, police, and several medical trauma teams responded to the scene, including two teams by helicopter.
The emergency services raised the alarm three times in quick succession, declaring the blaze a major fire and escalating the situation to Grip 1 at 5:25 a.m. A Grip 1 is declared when multiple emergency services are working at the scene of an incident that could affect a wider area. It means that a single commander is chosen to manage the emergency, and all emergency services report to that commander.
The homes above the burning shop were evacuated. According to NH Nieuws, people came out wearing smoke masks and went straight to the paramedics to be checked over. Several were taken to the hospital for treatment. The fire brigade spokesperson could not yet say how many people were affected or how badly they were injured.
Inside the burning shop, the fire brigade has begun demolishing the ceiling to get closer to the source of the fire. The fire brigade reported that the blaze is “largely” under control, though smoke is still coming from the building.
Veiligheidsregio Amsterdam-Amstelland, the security office that covers the local emergency services, urged locals to stay out of the smoke, close their windows and doors, and turn off their ventilation systems.
Support services are being provided, including for firefighters who want help dealing with a traumatic event.
