Kids alerted neighbors to fire in Dordrecht apartment building; No one hurt

A large fire significantly damaged an apartment building in Troelstraweg in Dordrecht on Tuesday evening. All residents managed to leave the building unharmed, partly thanks to some local children who spotted the fire and alerted their neighbors, RTL Nieuws reports.

The fire department responded to the apartment building with multiple vehicles at around 8:00 p.m. According to security region Zuid-Holland Zuid, the fire started on a balcony and then spread to the building's roof. The apartment building and surrounding homes were evacuated.

Firefighters had the blaze under control about an hour later, though actually extinguishing it took much longer.

The residents of the 16 apartments couldn't return to their homes after the fire was extinguished. The structural integrity of the building first has to be evaluated and damages assessed. The municipality arranged accommodation for them, mayor Wouter Kolff said on Twitter.