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The blaze swiftly ravaged the Vondelkerk’s roof andΒ collapsed its tower, and strong winds blew sparks and burning debris into the surrounding area, according to the area’s safety department. The authoritiesΒ reportedΒ that the fire had been brought under control by roughly 11 a.m. and, citing a structural engineer, said the church walls would remain standing.

The cause of the fire was not yet known, and a police and fire department investigation, which was set to begin on Thursday, could take weeks, said Marco de Leeuw, a spokesman for the Amsterdam-Amstelland Safety Region, which is responsible for fire and emergency services.

The blaze occurred during New Year’s celebrations, and there had been many fireworks in the area, spurring speculation online that they could have caused the disaster.

Mr. de Leeuw said that there was no sign that anyone had been in the church at the time of the blaze and that no deaths were expected to have resulted from the fire. By around midday on Thursday, firefighters had not yet entered the church itself because it was still deemed unsafe to do so.

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