Video: Fireworks after wedding spark dock fire at Wellerwaard near Emmeloord
A swimming dock at the Wellerwaard recreation lake near Emmeloord caught fire overnight Saturday into Sunday, sending up towering flames and heavy smoke, disrupting campers at a nearby festival and forcing swimmers to temporarily change access points. According to the fire department, the fire started after fireworks were set off at around midnight on the dock following a wedding celebration. Smoldering remnants are believed to have later ignited the wooden structure, Omroep Flevoland reported.
The blaze broke out on the south side of the lake along Casteleynsweg and was discovered shortly before 2 a.m. A section of the more than 20-meter-long dock was already fully engulfed when firefighters arrived. Two fire trucks were deployed to the scene.
Fire crews struggled to control the intense blaze, which also burned underneath the structure, making access difficult. Parts of the dock had to be dismantled before firefighters could fully extinguish the fire. The flames were out by about 3:30 a.m.
Smoke from the fire affected campers attending the Uit-jeTent festival near the beach area. The event allows camping in parts of the Noordoostpolder where it is normally not permitted. Tents and caravans were also set up along the Wellerwaard shoreline this weekend.
