Amsterdam’s Historic Vondelkerk Church Burns Amid New Year Celebrations
The Vondelkerk, built in 1872, served as a Roman Catholic church until 1977 and has since been hosting small events
Massive fire engulfed Netherland’s historic Vondelkerk (Vondel Church) in the early hours of Thursday amid new year celebrations in the country. Emergency services received the first distress calls around 12.45 am, prompting large-scale evacuations and emergency alerts across Amsterdam city. Electricity to roughly 90 nearby homes has also been affected.
Despite emergency services’ intervention, fire ravaged the ancient 154-year-old monument and the church tower collapsed completely as firefighters struggled to contain the blaze.
The Vondelkerk, built in 1872, served as a Roman Catholic church until 1977 and has since been hosting small events.
“The Vondelkerk is no longer salvageable,” said a spokeswoman for the Veiligheidsregio Amsterdam-Amstelland, with warning that the entire church may collapse soon. The cause of the fire remains under investigation as emergency responders continue operations amid the devastation.
