Rotterdam food wholesaler considered lost after major fire

A fire tore through a 4,500-square-metre food wholesaler in Rotterdam early on Saturday, and the building is now considered beyond saving, the city’s safety region said. Smoke prompted an NL-Alert, while ash and soot were reported across much of the city.

The fire broke out at about 1.50am in a building on Sydneystraat, in the Rotterdam Noord-West industrial area. It quickly spread through the premises. Firefighters were concentrating on the area around the building, where cars, vans and lorries were parked, and using cranes to demolish parts of the structure to reach remaining hotspots. The work was producing additional smoke.

Matlingeweg was closed near Industrieweg and Hongkongstraat to keep emergency services clear and because of the smoke. Firefighters had said earlier on Saturday that efforts to extinguish the blaze would take hours.

The safety region said shifting winds had carried ash and soot across much of Rotterdam. It advised residents to clean areas where young children play and to wipe the paws of dogs and cats that had been outside. Allotment holders were told to rinse produce thoroughly; leafy crops such as kale should not be eaten if soot had settled on them.