Five homes uninhabitable after Purmerend explosion, possibly intentional

A fire broke out in a house in Purmerend last night after an explosion. One person was taken to hospital with injuries. Five people were checked at the scene by ambulance personnel.

The police are taking this into account and are investigating in Maasstraat. A gas leak as the cause is excluded because most houses in the row do not have a gas connection.

The explosion happened around a quarter past four last night. The fire spread to the two houses next to the terraced house, which is part of a block of six houses. Images show flames coming from the top floor of the house.

Local residents were shocked by the explosion, which they said was very loud: “I was lying in bed and woke up for a moment. I almost fell asleep again when I heard a gigantic bludger,” a man told the regional broadcaster. NH.

“I opened the door and thought ‘this is wrong’. Flames came from the house and I immediately woke my parents.” According to the man, the emergency services arrived quickly on the scene. “But that doesn’t change the fact that it is very sad for the people here.”

One woman says the explosion shook her entire house. She initially thought it was a firework bomb in a trash can: “But it turned out that an entire house was on fire.”

Another local resident’s doors vibrated due to a bang. “I feel very sorry for the people from the block. We know them from the street. That house should be your safe base, right?”

Five homes cannot be used for the time being, the sixth house in the block has not suffered any damage. There is also no heating in the district because the district heating has been temporarily closed.