Explosion rips through Breda beauty salon, forces evacuations; one suspect arrested

An explosion early Sunday morning severely damaged a beauty salon on Oosterstraat in Breda, forcing the evacuation of six apartments above the business, NOS reports. A 43-year-old man from Rijsbergen was arrested nearby after he tried to flee when officers spotted him.

The blast occurred around 5:15 a.m. Video footage showed that the beauty salon’s front door was completely destroyed by the detonation. After the explosion, a fire broke out inside the premises.

Police confirmed that all residents of the affected apartments were evacuated. No injuries were reported.

The suspect was taken to the police station for questioning. Authorities are investigating whether he was directly involved in the incident.

According to Omroep Brabant, the same building was the site of a cannabis cultivation operation dismantled earlier in the week. Containers filled with waste from that operation were still standing on a nearby lawn. Police have not established any connection between the explosion and the former cannabis operations.