Fire at Almere data centre causes power loss and outages

What happened

A large fire broke out at the NorthC data centre on Rondebeltweg in Almere on 7 May. Emergency services responded with multiple appliances and ladder trucks. The fire affected the rear of the building where technical facilities are located. The building was evacuated with no injuries reported. Power was lost to equipment and servers, causing service outages for educational institutions, public transport and government agencies. The fire was brought under control after about 12 hours. Partial access was restored later that evening. Smoke remained limited due to compartmentation. Restoration work including temporary power supplies was expected to take up to 72 hours.

Lessons learned

1. Ensure robust fire compartmentation to limit smoke spread in technical areas.
2. Maintain redundant power paths and rapid temporary supply procedures for data centre facilities.
3. Coordinate closely with local fire services on access and safety protocols during incidents.

Source

thefpa.co.uk