Restaurant 't Nije Hemelriek in Gasselte verwoest door brand
On Monday evening, restaurant 't Nije Hemelriek in the Drenthe village of Gasselte was completely destroyed by a fire. The fire brigade was alerted around eleven o'clock in the evening. When the first units arrived, flames were already coming out of the roof.
"We received a report of a suspected fire around eleven o'clock," says Marcel van Alphen, spokesperson for the Drenthe Safety Region. "When we arrived, the entire building was already on fire. There was nothing left to save. We had to choose to let the building burn in a controlled manner."
Challenges in Extinguishing the Fire
Fire stations from Tweede Exloërmond, Borger, Gasselternijveen, Vries, Annen, and Gieten were called to fight the fire. Extinguishing the fire proved particularly challenging due to the remote location of the restaurant in the middle of a forest. Water for firefighting had to be transported by tankers. Van Alphen explains, "We had to prevent the fire from spreading to the forest. Eventually, we used a crane to demolish the building to reach the last fire sources. Without this action, it would have continued to smolder. It was not until four o'clock in the morning that the last units could return to the station."
Eyewitness Report and Aftermath
RTV Drenthe reporter Mirthe Zuhorn was on site Tuesday morning at the burnt-down restaurant. "I only see debris. It has become one big mess. I don't think anything can be made of this anymore," she reports. She briefly spoke with the affected proprietor, who responded disconsolately: "When asked, 'Are you from 't Nije Hemelriek?' he replied, 'I was, because there is nothing left of it.' This clearly shows how emotional he is."
The forest ranger has confirmed that swimming lake 't Nije Hemelriek will be temporarily closed due to the aftermath of the fire. Soot has landed on the beach and needs to be cleaned up. The water in the lake is contaminated and has turned black. It may take a week to completely pump out and clean the water. "This is absolutely not a one-day job," Zuhorn notes.
Cause Still Unknown
The cause of the fire is still unknown. Meanwhile, the Forestry Commission is busy with cleanup operations. A small team of employees has been called in to clean the beach, picking up charred remnants of the restaurant and removing insulation material from the trees.
