Blaze at Dutch factory making firelighting blocks proves difficult to extinguish

AMSTERDAM – Authorities in the Dutch city of Oisterwijk say a fire has broken out at a factory that makes firelighting blocks for barbecues and campfires.

The city of Oisterwijk, in the southeast of the Netherlands, said on its website that the fire is proving difficult to extinguish.

In an update mid-morning Thursday, the city said the fire was still burning — or at least producing large volumes of smoke — several hours after it began in the pre-dawn. “The fire is under control, but we cannot yet give the signal that we have mastered it,” the statement said of the situation at the “Fire-up” factory.

No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is still under investigation, the city said.