Mees saved the house’s cat from the flames in his student house: ‘At first I thought it was a false alarm’

Mees (24, biology in Leiden) was sitting in his room when, a little before midnight, the fire alarm in ‘Papegaaienklooster’ (literally the parrot monastery), his student house on Oude Delft, went off. He assumed it was a false alarm. “I went downstairs to see if anyone was trying to put the fire alarm off. But there were thick clouds of smoke coming from the corridor and people were running outside with their stuff. I shouted upstairs that it was a real fire.”

The fire brigade came quickly. They deemed it a ‘very big fire’ right from the start and turned up with a huge arsenal of fire engines to prevent the flames from spreading through the Duwo building and onwards. The residents (27 spread over two houses and one flat) were safely outside.

But Mees went back inside. He knew that Mies, the 14 year old cat, was still in the living room. Once inside he heard her meowing on the balcony. But he could not go in because of the flames and the smoke. So he did something else. “With the help of our neighbour at the back I climbed up to the balcony from the back and saved the cat.”

Smoke and water damage

A little before 01:30 that night the fire was under control (in Dutch). Only the communal space and the terrace had a lot of smoke and water damage. The fire brigade said that the students’ rooms on the first and second floors were safe. Still, the fire brigade advised the students to sleep somewhere else for the night. Everyone did so after going inside to get some things.

When Delta spoke to Mees on Tuesday afternoon, he said that everything was fine with him and his housemates. “I am answering a lot of apps and are walking around as we can’t yet go into the house. Everyone has gotten over the worst shock.”

He hardly realises what happened that night, Mees said. “You were outside so quickly that you hardly even noticed the fire. It is now just inconvenient that you can’t go home. It is not scary, it just feels crazy.”

Mees slept at a housemate’s friend’s house. Mies the cat could stay there too, with the cat litter and everything. It was worrying for Mies. “She had already gone through a lot in our house, but not this.” He is not doing exams, but some of his housemates are. “They are busy studying. Some already have an exam today or tomorrow. It is stressful for them.”

Duwo building

A spokesperson from Duwo, the owner of the building, says that the students will only be able to return at the beginning of next week. Until then the student housing organisation hopes that they can stay with friends or family. If this is not an option, Duwo will find them a temporary room.

The student house cannot yet be used as the fire alarm does not work anymore, the spokesperson said. Should a fire break out again, the students would then not be warned on time. The residents can only return to their rooms when the alarms are replaced.

They may, if accompanied, go and collect their things. Duwo plans to start the repairs as quickly as it can. They will also see if the students can get a temporary emergency kitchen.

Fire safety in order

The spokesperson says that it is always a shock if fire breaks out in a student house. “Luckily the residents did not suffer more than shock.” He says that the fire safety measures were in order and that the building is checked regularly. Fire safety is always a top priority he says. “We keep a close eye on it.”

There was another fire in a building belonging to Delft’s biggest student housing agency. It was a flat in a complex for international students on the Leeghwaterstraat. The house was empty at the time and was declared uninhabitable because of smoke and water damage. Just bad luck, says the spokesperson. “While these kinds of incidents cannot be predicted, this has now happened twice in Delft. Unfortunately we cannot prevent every fire.”

With the cooperation of Isabelle Elias and Nikita Ham