A massive fire destroyed Ora Restaurant & Cafe at the Blokdijk in Wijdenes, North Holland, early Tuesday morning on June 2, 2026, prompting a police investigation into suspected arson.
Officials discovered racist graffiti sprayed onto the walls of the ruined establishment, according to reports from NH Nieuws.
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Emergency services received the initial report at approximately 3:15 a. m.
, as reported by NH Nieuws.
The fire brigade quickly escalated the situation to the level of a "very large fire" within minutes, deploying six tanker trucks and an aerial platform to combat the flames that broke out from multiple sides of the structure.
A nearby stable holding a horse and a pony was evacuated safely as a precaution, according to a local correspondent reported by Hart van Nederland.
No injuries were reported from the incident, but the restaurant sustained severe damage and is considered a total loss.
The fire department declared the blaze under control around 7:00 a. m.
, indicating that the fire would no longer spread, though crews remained on-site to extinguish hot spots.
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Smoke from the incident drifted toward Oosterblokker and Westwoud, prompting police to advise local residents to close their windows and doors and shut off ventilation systems.
Authorities discovered targeted slurs painted on the walls of the property, including "oprotten" and "kanker turk" written in large letters, as reported by Noordhollands Dagblad.
A correspondent also noted that a window of the building had been smashed prior to or during the incident.
The police department announced on X that they are actively investigating the incident as a case of arson.
Forensic investigators have been deployed to examine the scene for tracks and evidence, though police noted it remains unclear whether the graffiti is directly connected to the fire.
The N506 highway was closed to all traffic due to the heavy smoke development and emergency response operations.
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Officials expected the roadway to remain closed for several hours while the fire brigade used a crane to dismantle parts of the building to reach the remaining pockets of fire.
