Police ribbons, fire truck, sirens: visitors to the center of the Hanseatic city were fully aware that something was going on. Waanders in de Broeren was evacuated, as were part of the C&A and other buildings. The WE and Eyewish were also locked by order of the fire brigade, the public was turned away.
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Homes were also evacuated. Café De Tagrijn served as a reception location for residents and shopkeepers. But no one was using it.
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It took a relatively long time, because the main gas tap was difficult to find in the building. Streets were cleared in an imaginary circle around the gas leak. Roughly speaking, it concerned (parts of) Broerenstraat, Nieuwstraat, Spiegelstraat and Kleine Aa. The leak was closed around 3:45 pm and the entire area was reopened.
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Cyclists and pedestrians in the center also noticed it. People who wanted to pick up their bicycles in the cordoned off area were frustrated by police tapes. Others had to walk or cycle around. Witness Hicham: ,,I was cycling here when I had to leave because there was a gas leak. The square has been cleared. At the Waanders, all customers had to leave and the building had to be locked. I’ve seen that, indeed.”
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