The Fire at a Hemp Processor in Oude Pekela was Extingughed on Saturday after five days. The Fire had Kept the Residents “in its grip” Since Monday, the Municipality Writes. The Area Suffered a Lot of Smoke and Odor Nuisance.
The Fire Broke Out On Monday Around 8:30 pm at the Storage Location of Hempflax on Hendrik Westerstraat. It is Still Unclear How the Fire Started.
On Friday, homes in the area had to be evacuated again the fire brigade was going to excingish with heavy man Equipment and foam. That would lead to more smoke and odor nuisance. Due to the high temperature in the building, The Foam Extingughing was stopped on Friday.
Possible, with Extra Vehicles, IT was Possible to Extinguish the Fire. The Fire Brigade Pumped the Extingughing Water from a Nearby Canal and Used A Mobile Crane for Demolition Work. This allowed the fire to be better extinguished and the emergency services to create a safe working environment.
The Fire Brigade Willin Remain on Standby at the Building in the Coming Days. The storage shed will also be secured to prevent people from enter. The Fire had a lot of spectators last week. The Emergency Services Called on to Avoid Oude Pekela.
The Municipality and Hempflax Will Start On Monday to See How they can Safely Clean Up The Site. The Safety Region has found asbestos containing material.
Residents to Shelter and School Closed
A Lot of Smoke was released delaceed the fire. Therefore, A NL-Alert was sent to local residents on Monday Evening. Twenty People had to spend the night from Monday to Tuesday at a shelter.
Furthermore, School Complex De Groenling Remained Closed Closed on Tuesday because Ash Partles Were Found on the site of the complex. After Investigation, these Turned Out Not to Contain Asbestos.
The Affected Company Makes Natural Products from Hemp, Such as Building Materials, Animal Care Products and Food Supplements. The General Director of Hempflax Tells RTV Noord That there are “Tens of Thousands of Bales or Hemp Straw Inside”. “Those Were Harvested Last Summer. We only Harvest Once a Year and Have To Store Everything. Those Bales are bone dry.”