Fire in Winterswijk snackbar brought under control after major response

A large fire that broke out Saturday in a snackbar on the Markt in Winterswijk has been brought under control, the Veiligheidsregio reported. Emergency services worked for hours to contain the blaze, which destroyed the snackbar and caused smoke damage to surrounding buildings.

The fire department gave the official "brand meester" signal shortly after 16:30, confirming that the situation was under control. Firefighters remained on-site to extinguish remaining hotspots and carry out demolition work.

Residents in the town center received an NL-Alert earlier on Saturday due to heavy smoke, advising them to stay indoors and close windows and doors. Authorities also urged the public to stay away from the Markt to allow emergency crews to operate.

As a precaution, several nearby buildings were evacuated. The Veiligheidsregio confirmed that multiple properties sustained smoke damage, but the fire did not spread beyond the snackbar.