Fire near Groningen station; Train traffic halted

A fire is raging at a building under construction near Groningen station. Train traffic towards Assen is halted. Firefighters are at the scene, and locals are urged to stay out of the smoke.

Groningen station is currently undergoing major renovations and construction. According to RTV Noord, the fire broke out in a building that will form part of the new bus station at the train station.

Brand bij Hoofdstation: geen treinen tussen Groningen en Europapark https://t.co/1lB9Cm7bSn #rtvnoord

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Emergency services responded to the building on Achterweg at around 8:30 a.m. The fire is burning in several places inside the building’s roof, reported Veiligheidsregio Groningen, the office that covers the local emergency services. At around 9:30, the authorities escalated the situation to a Grip 1, which means that various emergency services at the scene all work together under a single commanding officer.

The fire brigade assumes that the insulation material is on fire, a spokesperson told RTV Noord. “It is a difficult job that will take us quite some time,” the spokesperson said.

Brand op station #groningen? pic.twitter.com/HfjHS6LotL

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Due to the fire and resulting smoke, no trains are running between the Groningen and Groningen Europapark stations. Arriva trains towards Oost-Groningen are running, but are starting and ending at Groningen Europapark.

An NL Alert was sent to people in the vicinity of Groningen station, urging them to close their windows and doors, turn off ventilation, and stay out of the smoke. The emergency services also asked locals not to come look at the fire and to give them space to work.