Historic 154-year-old church goes up in flames sparking huge local evacuation | World | News

A 154-year-old church is at risk of total collapse after a major fire ripped through it early on New Year’s Day, authorities have confirmed. Vondelkerk Church in Amsterdam, which dates from 1872 and lies a short walk away from popular attractions including the Van Gogh museum went up in flames shortly after midnight on January 1. Authorities in the Netherlands capital have declared a regional emergency and evacuated several dozen homes after videos circulated online showed flames leaping up around the historic spire.

A spokesperson for the Amsterdam-Amstelland Safety Region said the church “cannot be saved” and is at risk of “entire collapse”. “It’s a very large, historic building,” they told ANP. “There’s a lot of wood, and the wind also allows the fire to spread easily and widely. The church’s characteristic appearance has been lost. [It’s a] terribly bad and dramatic start to the new year.”

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema also described the incident, the cause of which has not been confirmed, as “terrible”.

“This is a very intense and terrible fire in this monumental church,” she said. “Our first concern and priority now is the well-being and homes of the immediate residents.”

As of 2:30am local time, the fire was still raging with a national alert also issued for heavy smoke in the area.

Emergency services remained at the scene and were working to extinguish the fire using water from the nearby Vondelpark.

No injuries have been reported but local outlets suggest that around 90 homes were evacuated after the blaze broke out.

The Vondelkerk was in use as a Roman Catholic church until 1977 and has since served as a venue for events and small businesses.