Emergency services dispatched
Live blog: Major fire in the city centre following explosion
Photo: DUB
UPDATE - 17:50
Around 3:30 pm, a loud explosion was heard in the city centre, and the boom was felt throughout the area. It was a gas explosion on Visschersstraat, between Springweg and Visschersplein. According to regional emergency services, at least four people were injured.
After the explosion, residents stood confused in the streets. One of them, Luuk, shared the video he made a minute after the explosion with DUB's reporter (see below).
An extensive fire broke out. The fire brigade, the police and several ambulances were dispatched immediately, and sirens could be heard constantly. Two trauma helicopters also flew over the city.
The burnt smell is strong in the city centre. The police have evacuated the surrounding streets. An officer told the people present at the scene that further explosions could not be ruled out, so the closure is expected to last for a while. The incident was escalated to GRIP1, later downgraded to GRIP 2. This happens in serious incidents where multiple emergency services need to be deployed. A command post was set up to facilitate the cooperation.
After the explosion, a large fire broke out. The fire brigade, the police and several ambulances were immediately dispatched to the scene. Sirens were heard constantly. Two trauma helicopters also flew over the city.
The burnt smell was strong in the city centre. The police evacuated the surrounding streets. An officer at the scene told those present that further explosions could not be ruled out, so the closure is expected to last some time. Immediately after the explosion, the incident was escalated to GRIP1, and later downgraded to GRIP 2. This happens in serious incidents where multiple emergency services need to be deployed. A command post was set up to facilitate cooperation.
16:00
At around 3.30 pm, a loud explosion was heard in the city centre, followed by a major fire. The fire brigade, the police and several ambulances were immediately dispatched to the scene. Sirens can be heard constantly. Two trauma helicopters are also flying over the city.
The police are clearing the surrounding streets. It cannot be ruled out that there will be more explosions, a police officer told an AD reporter at the scene.
It is not yet clear exactly what is going on. The incident has been escalated to GRIP1, which is triggered when serious incidents require multiple emergency services to be deployed. A command post is currently being set up to facilitate cooperation. Clouds of smoke can be seen above the city centre, which is dominated by a burnt smell.
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