Fire alarm
Hard to extinguish
On the site of the Heineken brewery in's-
Hertogenbosch in the south of Holland a
large storage hangar was destroyed by fire.
The hangar served to house plastic crates
used in the Netherlands as well as stocks of
empty export cartons. It also contained a
number of filled beer barrels.
Extinguishing the tremendous blaze was
no easy task and the fire brigade of 's-
Hertogenbosch had to call in the assistance
of about a hundred extra firemen from the
surrounding towns and villages. Owing to
the heat the kegs filled with beer exploded
and shot off in all directions, making the
firemen's tough job even more hazardous.
Three firefighters were injured but were
fortunately able to go home after hospital
treatment.
The cause of the fire is unknown. The loss
of packaging materials caused some delays
in beer deliveries, especially export
shipments. The hangar and its contents are
insured. The total damage amounts to at
least five and a half million dollars.