Key Points
- Fire engulfs Vondelkerk church shortly after midnight, top of the 154-year-old tower collapses
- NL-Alert issued a warning to residents of heavy smoke; evacuations are underway
- Streets around the church closed; emergency services rang doorbells to evacuate homes
- Fire declared major; Grip 2 regional disaster protocol activated
AMSTERDAM: A major fire tore through Amsterdam’s Vondelkerk church early on Thursday morning, causing the 154-year-old tower to collapse and forcing evacuations in the surrounding area.
Authorities issued an NL-Alert warning residents to stay indoors and avoid heavy smoke, prioritising human safety as the top concern.
The blaze began shortly after midnight and continued into the early hours, sending burning embers flying eastward and prompting the closure of streets around the church. Emergency services declared the incident a major fire and activated the Grip 2 regional disaster protocol, bringing in additional personnel from outside Amsterdam to help contain the flames.
Parts of the church’s top had already broken off after the fire raged for more than an hour. A spokesperson for the Amsterdam-Amstelland Emergency Services Region described the scene as producing a “huge shower of sparks” threatening nearby homes. Residents were evacuated, with fire personnel going door-to-door in affected streets, according to NL Times.
“This is a very intense and terrible fire in this monumental church,” said Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema. “Our first concern and priority now is the well-being and homes of the immediate residents,” as quoted by NL Times.
The Vondelkerk, built in 1872, served as a Roman Catholic church until 1977 and has more recently been used for special events and small businesses. Authorities have not reported any injuries or fatalities so far, emphasising that the response focuses on protecting people in the vicinity, according to the Municipality of Amsterdam.
