Fire in Van Hasseltlaan student flat: ‘No alarm went off’

The fire started in the insulation behind the stairwell panelling. According to a fire brigade spokesperson, this made it difficult to locate the exact source of the flames. “Once we found it, the fire turned out to be less serious than expected and we quickly brought the situation under control.”

Outside the flat on Monday morning, Darja (23) picks up her bicycle to go to the TU. She was not in her sixth-floor studio on Saturday night, but across the street. She was kept informed via a group conversation on WhatsApp. “People sent photos of the smoke and the blackened fire escape”, she says. “I think the fire started after some kind of electrical malfunction.”

‘Everything okay?’

A student who is just leaving the building was also not at home on Saturday and only heard about the fire in his flat the next day. “A friend texted me: ‘Everything okay?’ and that’s how I found out,” he says.

On the eleventh floor, all us quit: the students have probably gone to TU Delft. Apart from the ashes on the floor, there is little sign of the fire, but when the door to the fire escape opens, the smell of smoke is unmistakable.

‘No alarm went off’

Ana (18) lives in one of the studios on this floor. “I didn’t notice anything,” she says in her doorway. “No alarm went off, nothing at all. I only just heard from the police that there was a fire.” She is concerned, she says. “It could have escalated and ended badly.”

According to the fire brigade spokesperson, it was probably not necessary to warn every resident. “When the fire was discovered, it was quickly brought under control,” he says. “Although I don’t know exactly what happened, because I wasn’t there myself.” Meanwhile, cleaners are on the eleventh floor sweeping the ashes from the floor, and the last students are getting ready to go to class.

The flat on Van Hasseltlaan is owned by student housing provider DUWO. They will issue a statement later.