Man stockpiles over a tonne of fireworks, neighbours evacuated
A 42-year-old man remains in custody after police found 1,100 kilos of fireworks at his home in Weesp on Monday night, prompting the evacuation of 20 neighbouring houses.
Police found the fireworks after a tip-off piled up at a house on the Papelaan. “The smallest spark could have caused a disastrous explosion,” police said.
The haul was removed by experts from the defense ministry’s explosives division EOD, allowing the neighbours to return to their homes.
The upcoming ban of consumer fireworks in the Netherlands has caused a surge in sales, sparking concern for emergency service workers both on the scene and in hospitals.
More fireworks means more victims, emergency care doctor Yara Basta told NU.nl. “Fireworks in combination with alcohol or drugs are particularly dangerous because people become reckless”, she said.
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