Fire damages presbytery beside Westbeemster church

A fire broke out in the interior of the presbytery beside the Catholic Church of St John the Baptist in Westbeemster, North Holland, on Monday night. Firefighters contained it before it spread to the neighbouring church, and no one was injured, regional authorities said.

The fire was initially described as fully ablaze, prompting officials to scale up the response to a major fire. By about 11pm it was no longer spreading, a spokesperson said. Crews continued tackling hotspots inside the largely wooden building and said they would need to remove sections of wall to reach them.

Firefighters also used a reconnaissance drone to check for remaining hotspots in the wooden roof. At midnight, the spokesperson said extinguishing the fire completely would take some time.