Firefighter Steven van de Looij (55) extinguished the fire in the Vondelkerk

Steven van de Looij, acting fire commander of Amsterdam-Amstelland, led the response to a significant fire at the historic Vondelkerk church during his first hours on the job on New Year's Eve. To preserve the monumental structure, firefighters avoided standard demolition tactics and used specialized equipment like thermal drones to contain the blaze while protecting the surrounding neighborhood. Although the roof and archives sustained damage, the building remained largely intact, and the owner plans to proceed with reconstruction.