A historic Amsterdam church was ravaged by fire as New Year’s Eve in the Netherlands saw unprecedented violence against emergency services and two fireworks deaths.
AMSTERDAM: A massive fire gutted a 19th-century church in Amsterdam on New Year’s Eve.
The blaze at the historic Vondelkerk, a tourist attraction since 1872, broke out in the early hours.
The 50-metre-high tower collapsed and the roof was severely damaged, though the main structure is expected to remain intact.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Dutch Police Union head Nine Kooiman reported an “unprecedented amount of violence against police and emergency services” overnight.
Kooiman said she was hit three times by fireworks and explosives while working a shift in Amsterdam.
Authorities issued a rare nationwide mobile alert shortly after midnight, urging people not to call overwhelmed emergency services unless lives were at risk.
Attacks on police and firefighters were reported across the country, including petrol bombs thrown at officers in Breda.
Two people, a 17-year-old boy and a 38-year-old man, were killed in separate fireworks accidents.
Three others were seriously injured by fireworks.
Rotterdam’s eye hospital treated 14 patients, including 10 minors, for eye injuries, with two requiring surgery.
This was the last New Year before an expected ban on consumer fireworks, leading to record sales.
The Dutch Pyrotechnics Association said a record €129 million was spent on fireworks.
Firework-free zones in some areas appeared to have little effect, with loud bangs reported in The Hague until 3am.
In a related incident in Germany, two 18-year-olds died in Bielefeld after setting off homemade fireworks that caused fatal facial injuries.
