Explosion in Huizen badly damaged home previously secured by police
Residents of Huizen were startled by an explosion at a home on Roef during the early morning hours of Sunday. The result of the blast was extensive, with photos from the scene showing several destroyed windows, and explosives disposal personnel examining the area. Police recently kept the home under guard, and last weekend the mayor ordered that property and another to be boarded up because of an unstated public threat.
"There was an explosion on Roef in Huizen around 1:50 a.m. Significant damage was caused to the property, and no injuries were reported," police said on Twitter a few hours later.
Records show the emergency call was first reported as a house fire on Roef in the Noord-Holland municipality. Authorities in the Gooi en Vechtstreek region then upgraded the call to a Grip 1 emergency less than 15 minutes later. The protocol is used when an incident affects an entire neighborhood, and calls for all emergency personnel to organize under a single incident commander.
A spokesperson for the police confirmed that the facade of the home was badly damaged. Several homes were evacuated, but she was unable to say how many households were affected, according to ANP. The evacuation took place as a precaution because it was not immediately clear if there was a risk of a second explosion.
Just last weekend, the mayor of Huizen, Niek Meijer, ordered authorities to close the home and and another on the other side of the street. Meijer’s order came after police and the Public Prosecution Service notified the mayor’s office of an immediate danger to local residents, NH Nieuws reported. The nature of the threat was not made public.
The home was kept under surveillance for several days. The broadcaster reported that officers in armored vehicles and automatic weapons spent time in the area last week, but the surveillance team was not present the night of the explosion.
One person was arrested last week on suspicion of being involved in the threats made against the two homes, the local broadcaster said.
