Amsterdam's Vondelkerk church “cannot be saved” after New Year’s fire
The historic Vondelkerk in Amsterdam “cannot be saved,” authorities said early Thursday as firefighters continued to battle a massive blaze that erupted shortly after midnight during New Year’s celebrations. The fire has fully engulfed the 154-year-old church, causing parts of the tower and roof to collapse, forcing evacuations, and cutting electricity to roughly 90 nearby homes.
“The Vondelkerk is no longer salvageable,” said a spokeswoman for the Veiligheidsregio Amsterdam-Amstelland. “The entire church is on fire. The whole church may collapse.”
No injuries have been reported, and the nearby Vondelpark is not in danger. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The Vondelkerk, built in 1872, served as a Roman Catholic church until 1977 and has since been used for events and small businesses.
Elsewhere in the Netherlands, dozens of residents were also evacuated due to separate fires overnight. In Hellevoetsluis, between 40 and 45 residents were pulled from their apartments after a fire broke out in the parking garage beneath their building. Evacuees were taken to another complex nearby, the Veiligheidsregio Rotterdam-Rijnmond said.
In Hillegom, authorities issued an NL-Alert as a large fire erupted in a mattress storage warehouse. Residents were instructed to stay behind barricades, close windows, and avoid smoke. No injuries have been reported. Earlier reports had mistakenly identified the site as a fireworks store and a mattress shop.
