As it was the Christmas holidays, there were very few people on campus, so there was no risk to staff. Sensitive equipment and apparatus were moved to neighbouring buildings to ensure their power supply. The University President, Prof. Dr Oliver Locker-Grütjen, thanked the fire brigade for their efforts: “The university management is very grateful for the fire brigade’s tremendous commitment. They did a fantastic job and arrived on the scene very quickly after the alarm was raised to minimise the damage as much as possible.”
Some members of the faculty’s staff spontaneously cut short their Christmas holidays to help with the clean-up work. The university president and the chancellor, Dr Annett Schmeck, were also on site to get an initial impression of the situation, together with Dr Alina Leson, head of the Facilities Management Department. “My sincere thanks go to the staff who have come to the Kleve campus today to help deal with the damage,” said Dr Schmeck.
Following yesterday’s efforts, a specialist firm was commissioned to assess the damage to the building. It is not yet possible to comment on the exact extent of the damage. The cause of the damage and the cost of repairs will be assessed over the next few days. Only then will it be possible to estimate how long the restrictions will last. “It is not yet clear to what extent the building will need to remain closed after the end of the Christmas holidays. At present, the experts are assuming a partial closure,” explained the Chancellor.
The building in question had already suffered water damage in November 2021. At that time, teaching and learning were maintained by relocating to other buildings. In addition, the other faculties had provided premises to ensure that research could continue. Drawing on this experience, contingency plans will be drawn up again in the coming days.
