Fire at Singel 400
A playing child inadvertently caused a fire.
Opekta used the ground floors of the building at Singel 400. Upstairs lived the artist Gerrit Jongert and his family. In April 1940, Jongert's little boy was playing with matches in an unguarded moment and started a fire.[1] The fire brigade rushed out with three fire engines and a ladder truck. Thirteen firemen used 4,500 litres of water from the Vecht river to put out the fire.[2] In Jongert's home and studio, the panelling and some paintings were lost, but the ground floor only sustained water damage.[3]
Footnotes
- ^ Stadsarchief Amsterdam (SAA), Gemeentepolitie Amsterdam, toegang 5225, inv. nr. 7055, rapportenboek bureau Warmoesstraat, 24 april 1940, mut. 5.30 uur n.m.
- ^ SAA, Brandweer en rechtsvoorgangers, toegang 635, inv. nr. 1239, dagboek van plaats gehad hebbende branden, 24 april 1940.
- ^ "Brand in het atelier van een kunstschilder", Utrechts Volksblad, 25 april 1940, p. 10.