azc Almelo (Vriezenveenseweg)
The asylum centre on the Vriezenveenseweg in Almelo was the scene of a significant fire on 4 August 2025, when a battery pack in an outbuilding caught light and sent thick smoke over the site. Multiple fire crews, including foam units from neighbouring towns, were deployed; one resident was taken to hospital with breathing problems and others spent the night in the recreation hall because of lingering smoke. No evacuation of the grounds was needed.
Occupancy
423
people (Aug 2025)
Per night
€80
per person (benchmark)
Annual
€12m
estimated
Background
The site sits at Vriezenveenseweg, Almelo. It is run by the COA (Centraal Orgaan opvang asielzoekers), the Dutch government’s asylum-reception agency. For what the azc / noodopvang categories mean and how Dutch reception spending breaks down, open the cost panel on the interactive map with the Netherlands selected in Settings.
In the news
Aug 2025
Residents of Almelo AZC spent the night in recreation hall after fire
Regional broadcaster Oost reported a battery-pack fire on 4 August 2025, with one resident taken to hospital and others relocated overnight due to smoke.
RTV Oost · source
Compiled from public Dutch news reports (each item links to its source). Where a municipality runs more than one reception location, attribution to this specific address reflects the cited report and may be approximate — always check the linked source.
Timeline
Aug 2025
Battery-pack fire at the AZC
A fire in an outbuilding battery pack caused heavy smoke; one resident was hospitalised and others slept in the recreation hall.
Cost
Dutch asylum reception is funded by central government through the COA. At an illustrative benchmark of about €80 per person per night for a regular centre, the 423 people recorded here on 13 August 2025 imply roughly €12m per year. This is an order-of-magnitude figure for context only, not a site-specific invoice — emergency reception typically runs around three times the cost of a regular centre.
Sources
COA / Rijksoverheid (Kamerstuk, 5 Sep 2025) · 2025-08-13. View source
Occupancy is the COA register snapshot of 13 August 2025 and may have changed since. Coordinates were geocoded from the published street address via the official PDOK Locatieserver.