Royals to visit Kolding disaster victims

The village of Seest, near Kolding, still resembles nothing so much as a bomb crater. Houses, factories and warehouses stand charred, vacant and uninhabitable - bitter relics of a fireworks explosion that devastated the tiny provincial community three weeks ago.

In the weeks that have followed the disaster, which destroyed 176 homes and claimed the life of a local volunteer firefighter, many citizens and first responders have grappled with deep psychological trauma. Many have sought help from counselors just to battle through the stresses of daily life.

"The rescue crews have taken it really hard. The fire seemed harmless enough to begin with, but suddenly they lost control. The blaze just took over. This feeling of powerlessness and the abrupt mental shift has carried over into their emotional lives. Some have broken down and cried over it," said psychologist Michael Bruun, who has provided group counseling to Kolding's firefighters several times in recent weeks.

The team of first responders - those who were trapped in the violent series of explosions that rocked the fireworks factory, killing one of their men - has particularly struggled. Many still report nightmares about the inferno.

Today, these firemen will return to the site of the disaster as Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary pay their first visit to Seest. The royal couple will tour the fire zone before meeting with area residents later in the day.

Firefighters and local residents are looking forward to the visit - including Kolding's emergency services director Claus Andresen, who was forced to draw from his experience as an active-duty soldier in Bosnia in 1994 to grapple with the overwhelming destruction following the Kolding fire.

"Not long after the first explosions, I decided that everyone needed trauma counseling. It wasn't even an offer - it was an order. It's important that people understand what happens to them in these situations, so they can tackle it and move on," said Andresen.

Speaking with daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten today, Andresen said sensed early on that it was no ordinary fire that broke out at the N.P. Johnsen Fireworks Factory at 14.02 on Wednesday 3 November.

"Around 15.15, I received a report from the fire inspector that the blaze was under control, but by that point we'd already decided to evacuate everyone within a radius of 500 meters of the site," said Andresen. The decision had lifesaving consequences.

The mass-evacuation began at 15.25, just one minute before the first large explosion. The blast killed a firefighter onsite and wounded six others. Eight minutes later, a second explosion erupted - literally blowing the firemen out of the area. The experience was so overwhelming that many firefighters are still reluctant to talk about it - not even with close family members.

"Unfortunately, many of the firefighters would rather not talk with their families about the fire, because the families weren't there. It's a problem that I hope to address in December, by bringing firefighters and their families together under more positive circumstances to try to help them," said Andresen, who said his own family had been impacted by the fire and needed to talk things out.

"I only took about 30 seconds to call home and tell them I was OK. It only frightened them, and I learned a lesson from that," said Andresen.

On the first night after the blaze, Claus Andresen said he was only able to sleep two hours, but jumped out of bed at every sound of an outcall siren or fire alarms. Psychologist Michael Bruun has counseled many Kolding firemen about these aftereffects.

"Every time an alarm goes off, many of them are going to feel scared and in danger. I've tried to prepare them for this, but I've also told them that if these delayed reactions become too dramatic, then they should seek professional help," said Bruun.

Hopes are high in the small Jutland community that today's visit by Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Mary will help the city to heal the wounds left by the catastrophic fire.