Empty swimming pool building De Meer in Culemborg went up in flames on Wednesday night. The building on Multatulilaan was sold to Association Islamic community Culemborg, who planned to transform it into a mosque. Five cars also caught fire. According to the police, this is not a case of fire spreading from one place to another, a spokesperson said to ANP.

Reports from the Terweijde neighborhood are conflicted, with NOS saying a sixth car was also set on fire and other sources reporting five. A police spokesperson told ANP that the fire did not spread from one car to the other - they caught fire separately.

The fire at the mosque site started around 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, according to Omroep Gelderland. The building sustained significant damage and parts of it collapsed. The fire is now under control, but firefighters are still working on extinguishing it. The cause of the fire is unclear, the police are investigating.

The police are investigating whether there is a link between the car fires and the fire in the swimming pool.