During the firefighting efforts, which began around two o'clock, the upper structures of the church collapsed. As a result, the alert level was raised to Grip 2, leading to the involvement of additional emergency services to mitigate the consequences and assist the victims.
Note: Grip 2 is a category of emergency situation when the scale of the incident exceeds the capabilities of a single municipality and requires coordination of actions from several emergency services at the regional level.
The fire generated a significant number of sparks that flew in different directions, posing a threat to nearby houses.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema emphasized that the safety of residents remains a priority. "This is a strong and terrible fire in this monumental church. Our primary task is to ensure the well-being and safety of the homes of nearby residents," she noted.
As a result of the incident, residents of neighboring buildings were evacuated. Local residents were also sent a warning via NL-Alert about the heavy smoke with appropriate recommendations. The streets around the church were completely closed off.
Information about Vondelkerk
The Vondelkerk, located in Amsterdam, was built in 1872. It originally functioned as a Catholic church until 1977. In recent decades, the building has been used for various events and to house small commercial enterprises.
