Fire brigade closes Groningen student house

Fire brigade closes Groningen student house

The residents of a Groningen student house have to improve the fire safety of their home. The fire brigade will not allow them to sleep there until the house meets the requirements. By chance, the fire brigade stumbled upon the dangerous situation in the student house on Saturday, writes (in Dutch) Groningen broadcaster OogTV. In one of the premises in the street, carbon monoxide had been released during work, so neighbouring houses were also checked. 

In the student house, the fire brigade found, among other things, taped smoke detectors. Escape routes were also blocked. The students had to sleep elsewhere that night.
Fire alarms are not a luxury. There were 50 thousand house fires in the Netherlands in 2021, according to a survey (Dutch) by insurers. Almost half were due to human error, a quarter to short circuits or faulty appliances. 

Last November, a fire in Amsterdam destroyed dozens of container homes owned by students and others. In Breda, a fire broke out (Dutch) in June in a bicycle shop where students lived above. In 2021, a fire raged in a student flat in Den Bosch and dozens of students had to leave their homes. 

• Read also: Do you know what to do if there is a fire?

The National Student Union has a checklist (in Dutch) on its website to check the fire safety of your home, with questions about fire alarms, fire extinguishers and escape routes, as well as extension cords, the lint filter of the tumble dryer and the grease filter of the extractor fan. (HOP, BB)