Firefighters are trying to contain a serious fire at NorthC Datacenters in Almere, which broke out on Thursday morning.

All workers at the centre were evacuated successfully. People around the affected area have received an NL-alert telling them to keep windows and doors closed and turn off ventilation systems because of widespread smoke.

The emergency electricity installation at the data centre has been considered lost, a fire brigade spokesman told broadcaster NOS. Efforts are now concentrated on preventing a large diesel tank in another part of the building from overheating.

The University of Utrecht, which has several servers at the facility, said the fire is having “a big impact”, causing problems with applications and the university website.

Infomedics, which sends out bills on behalf of care providers, has also been hit. The company is currently not available via phone or chat.

It is not yet known what caused the fire.