Almere data center fire knocks Utrecht University offline, disrupts regional travel

A major fire at a data center in Almere on Thursday severely disrupted online systems at Utrecht University, with students and staff unable to log into university websites and apps. The university’s digital news site DUB was also unreachable and internet problems were reported at the municipality of Dronten. The blaze, which started in the morning at the data center on Rondebeltweg in Almere, is currently being described as a "very large fire," RTV Utrecht reports.

Emergency services remain heavily deployed at the scene, while a hazardous materials adviser from Utrecht was also sent to Almere, according to Veiligheidsregio Utrecht.

Residents in Flevoland received an NL Alert warning them to stay away from the smoke, close windows and switch off ventilation systems. This includes the Sallandsekant, Danswijk, and Nobelhorst neighborhoods, as well as the Weteringpark, and people on the Hoge Vaart waterway between the Almere-Stad and Almere-Hout districts.

The fire also disrupted public transport in Utrecht province. Transdev said bus and tram drivers were struggling to stay in contact with the Regiecentrum Openbaar Vervoer, the control center that handles emergencies and daily coordination.

Because key servers for that system were still located in the Almere data center and had not been moved to a backup location, drivers temporarily lost normal communication with the control room, and the in-vehicle emergency button was not working.

In urgent cases, drivers can still call a backup emergency number, and Transdev has placed extra staff at major hubs. The company said some buses may be canceled but added that passengers are unlikely to notice major disruption, advising them to check travel planners before departure.

The disruptions followed a large fire at a data center on Rondebeltweg in Almere, on the Sallandsekant industrial estate on the eastern side of the city.