A very large fire left a trail of destruction in the home furnishing boulevard on Professor Zeemanweg in Waalwijk (The Netherlands) on Thursday, 30 april in the afternoon. Six shop premises, including well-known names such as Kwantum, Haco Wonen en Slapen, Leen Bakker and Prominent, were severely damaged or completely destroyed. Surrounding entrepreneurs, such as Schouten Parket, are also suffering the consequences.
© Brandweer112.nl
© Brandweer112.nl
Around ten past two, the fire broke out in the warehouse of home furnishing shop Kwantum. Due to the enormous smoke development and the speed with which the fire spread, the fire brigade scaled up to 'very large fire' and GRIP 1 within 45 minutes. Two platoons with a total of 16 fire engines rushed out to fight the fire defensively from outside.
Six properties severely affected
Despite the massive efforts of the emergency services, the fire could not be prevented from spreading to adjacent properties. The Midden- en West-Brabant Safety Region confirmed in the early evening that the following shops suffered heavy damage:
- Kwantum (where the fire started)
- Prominent
- Leen Bakker
- Vloer.nu
- Colora (paint shop)
- An empty building (formerly Carpetright)
-Haco Wonen & Slapen
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Due to the enormous smoke development, which was visible for miles around and even from the Efteling, an NL-Alert was sent out. Neighbours were urgently advised to close windows and doors. A nearby nursery was evacuated as a precaution.
Impact on surrounding businesses
Not only the properties directly involved suffered damage. Across the street, Ron and Esther van Geloven of Schouten Parket saw how the fire brigade pulled out all the stops to save their showroom. "The fire brigade preemptively kept our premises wet to prevent the fire from spreading," the owners let us know via LinkedIn. Although the fire did not reach their premises, the impact was still significant. "As a result, we have unfortunately suffered considerable water damage. Our showroom is closed for the time being." Dejection in the industry is high, especially as this is a relatively new showroom in which a lot of passion was invested.
© Brandweer112.nl
© Brandweer112.nl
Situation under control
Around 18:40, the fire brigade gave the signal 'fire master'. Although the flames were extinguished by then, the post-fire extinguishing continued well into the night. Fortunately, there were no injuries in the incident.
© Brandweer112.nl
© Brandweer112.nl
Nothing is currently known about the exact cause of the fire in the Kwantum warehouse. Professor Zeemanweg and surrounding areas remained closed for some time for investigation and salvage work. The affected retailers are currently considering the future and the settlement of the enormous damage.
