By Niwa Limbu, Catholic Herald. (Photo: Jan-Willem van Braak/Unsplash)
A historic church in Amsterdam was devastated by fire in the early hours of New Year’s Day as the Netherlands endured a turbulent New Year’s Eve marked by widespread disorder linked to fireworks.
The Vondelkerk, a nineteenth century former Catholic church overlooking the capital’s Vondelpark, was engulfed by flames shortly after midnight on 1 January. Emergency services were called as the blaze intensified, with firefighters quickly declaring a major incident. By the early morning, the church’s roof and its nearly 50 metre high tower had collapsed, and local authorities confirmed that the building could not be saved.
Residents in nearby properties were evacuated as a precaution because of heavy smoke and the risk of falling debris, but no injuries or fatalities were reported in connection with the fire. Officials said the cause of the blaze remained under investigation, although it was believed that fireworks played a role, amid reports of youth gangs setting off explosives in the area.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema also visited the scene of the fire. “It’s a very intense and terrible fire in this monumental church,” she said. “Our first concern and priority now is the well being and homes of the immediate residents.”
A local authority spokeswoman said the church was “no longer salvageable”, adding that “the entire church is on fire”. An emergency services spokesman warned that burning embers from “old wood” were being blown towards the city centre, while electricity supplies to around 100 nearby homes were cut during the night.
The fire at the Vondelkerk came during what Dutch authorities described as an exceptionally violent New Year’s Eve nationwide. The head of the Dutch Police Union, Nine Kooiman, reported an “unprecedented amount of violence against police and emergency services”, saying she herself had been pelted three times with fireworks and other explosives while working a shift in Amsterdam.