Woman arrested after fire in mentally-handicapped home

A 36-year-old woman has been arrested following a fire in a residential complex partly housing people with a mental handicap, RTL news said on Thursday.


The fire at the apartment block in the small town of Poortugaal, west of Rotterdam, broke out last night on the first floor, where a number of handicapped people lived with their carers.
Three people were treated for smoke inhalation and one person is seriously ill with burns, RTL said. Eight residences in the apartment block were destroyed in the fire.
The cause of the blaze is not yet known, nor have any more details emerged about the role of the woman who has been arrested.
According to news agency ANP, fire officers found it difficult to evacuate the building because some of the residents were in wheelchairs.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation