2447 Nieuwbourg City fire

Around 13:30 of 19th April 2447, the local fire department responded to a call regarding smoke coming from warehouse 7 of the West Nieuwbourg port. At around 14:30, the fire had spread to warehouse 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9. At 14:58, an explosion was heard from warehouse 9 which killed a suspected fifteen workers and firefighters. It is believed that propane and other flammable gases ignited to cause the explosion. The fire continued to increase in size threatening local neighbourhoods which were evacuated. Firefighters managed to contain the fire from spreading further by 17:20 and the fire was completely out by 11:00 the following morning.

The whole event caused 63 deaths with over 200 injuries. The entire port was closed down for 6 years until it reopened on 1st March 2453. All traffic heading for the port was rerouted to Gateshaven which caused the expansion of the port and the opening of more ports there. It also helped the city rise to become the 4th largest city within Empherias.

Following the event, Ahitereira-Koresa officially leased the port and the lands surrounding it to Empherias for 99 years (to end in 2546) however the credibility of this lease is now disputed following the two nation's participation in the High Kingdoms of Alaxia.

Incident

At 13:30 on 19th April 2447, there were two separate calls to West Nieuwbourg Fire Department which described a large amount of smoke coming from the port. After a small crew of firefighters investigated, it was revealed that warehouse 7 of the port had caught fire. All 8 workers in that particular warehouse were evacuated and the fire was to be dealt with as normal by 14:00. The firefighters could not find the root of the fire and called for backup units to stop the fire from spreading. What they suspected was the entire fire had been put out by 14:18 where most of the firefighters returned to the station. Warehouse 7 workers did not return to work and a few firefighters remained to find the cause of the problem. At 14:25, one worker in warehouse 8 reported to his senior manager that he could smell fire, but was dismissed as just smelling the aftermath of the warehouse 7 fire.

At 14:29, another warehouse 8 reported that he could also smell at the end of the building and alerted the manager. When they entered an empty manager's office, they discovered the room on fire. The West Nieuwbourg Fire Department was alerted and returned to the scene on 14:41 with more firefighters. By then, the fire had spread back to warehouse 7 (although in a lesser capacity) and had moved because of high winds to warehouse 6 and warehouse 9. Firefighters moved to contain the fire from spreading to other warehouses rather than dousing the original fire. At 14:45, the Chief Fire Officer of Nieuwbourg called for extra firefighters from all Nieuwbourg fire departments and also alerted both the governments of Empherias and Ahitereira-Koresa. All workers were evacuated from all warehouses in an orderly fashion. Despite efforts to contain the fire, it had spread from warehouse 6 to warehouses 4 and 5 by 14:50.

At 14:58, an explosion was heard f rom warehouse 9. A large amount of flammable gas, specifically propane in large amounts alongside other explosive materials, had been in the warehouse to be exported down to Wynnoa. The explosion instantly killed approximately 15 workers trying to evacuate orderly and another 7 firefighters. There were a further 20 injuries alone. The fire continued to grow and threatened a close neighbourhood. This triggered mass evacuations of all homes in Nieuwbourg. Ahitereira-Koresa border controls were notified of refugees entering their territories at 15:40, to which they opened their borders fully. Firefighters, now aided by Ahitereiran, Koresan, and mainland Empherian firefighters, alongside firefighting boats, were able to contain the fire from spreading. Warehouse 8 had completely burned down by 16:00, with no trace of warehouse 9 remaining following the explosion. Half of the civilian population of Nieuwbourg had lost their houses to the blaze. Overall 63 people died, with 200 injuries. The fire reached it's peak at 17:20 where the entire port had caught fire. By 22:00, all civilian houses and areas had either been put out or burned entirely to the ground. By 11:00, on the following morning of 20th April 2447, the fire had been entirely put out.

Aftermath

To make sure the fire was out, firefighters stayed at the port on shifts until 28th April 2447. Searching and accounting for bodies continued until 22nd April 2447 when the final call for survivors was made. The west-side of the port had stopped operation as of 13:33 on 19th April 2447, with the entire port shutting down at 15:00. All port traffic was temporarily transferred to Gateshaven, until on 30th April 2447 it was confirmed that Nieuwbourg port would shut down for the foreseeable future. All traffic was henceforth directed to Gateshaven where an expansion took place in 2448. It overtook Nieuwbourg as the largest Empherian commercial port in 2449. A large majority of the refugees took Empherian trains to the city of Vreimer and given temporary homes. The majority of these refugees would never return to Nieuwbourg, but sent to live permanently in Gateshaven. The large amount of new traffic entering Gateshaven saw a massive spike of emigration there and the city soon became the 4th biggest in Empherias.

Reconstruction of the port was helped funded by several allies of Empherias:

• the Hveden Federation offered z'10,500,000 on 21st April 2447.
• Ahitereira-Koresa offered z'10,500,000 on 22nd April 2447.
• Prime Minister Katelyn Roberts devoted z'22,000,000 on 24th April 2447.
• the Valari royal family of Kiavalar offered z'12,000,000 on 5th May 2447.
• Prime Minister Sofia Hopkins devoted z'58,000,000 on 1st April 2448 as part of the 2448 fiscal budget to renovate Nieuwbourg for new housing projects.

The cleanup began on 1st May 2447 with the first 5 months being devoted to cleaning up rubble and holding investigations. The Empherian Naval Forces began planning to build a replacement port that would improve the infrastructure and safety. The Empherias-Koresan railway between Nieuwbourg and Vreimer would be bought by the Empherian government and made to exclusively import and export supplies. Public use on travel between the areas was shut down.

Following the event, Ahitereira-Koresa officially leased the port and the lands surrounding it to Empherias for 99 years (to end in 2546) however the credibility of this lease is now disputed following the two nation's participation in the High Kingdoms of Alaxia.

Nieuwbourg port was reopened on 1st March 2453. The area had trouble selling houses following the fire and many of the original inhabitants refused to return. Nieuwbourg never reached the same highs as it had done ever again. Where it had historically been the largest commercial and military and tourist port in Empherias, following the fire it peaked at the 5th in 2455 due to a high amount of interest. As of 2500, Nieuwbourg is the 26th largest commercial port, the 97th largest tourist port, and has held no military presence since 2480.

There is a memorial for the disaster and the people that died held outside the building of the West Nieuwbourg Fire Department (which had closed in 2463 following the creation of the Nieuwbourg Fire Response Unit). Each year on the 19th April at 13:30, the NFRU rings out an alarm 9 times in a row.