The 57-year-old man arrested on Saturday in connection with the devastating fire in the centre of Arnhem is a known troublemaker in the neighbourhood, broadcaster NOS said on Monday, citing confidential sources.

Three men, aged 57, 41 and 30 were arrested in connection with the fire that seriously damaged 10 buildings, including some 30 apartments, leaving dozens of people homeless.

Security camera footage, which has been seen by NOS reporters, shows three men making a noisy arrival at an apartment on the Looierstraat, not far from the epicentre of the blaze, which started some 15 minutes later. All three would appear to be drunk, were singing and kicking doors, the broadcaster said.

“The council has done all it can to get the situation under control but at a certain point it had turned into a drugs den,” one neighbour said.

The police and public prosecution department have declined to say any more about the three, one of whom has “no fixed address”.

Earlier this year the police sounded the alarm about the number of call outs they have to make involving people with psychiatric issues.

They registered almost 150,000 reports of problems caused by people with psychiatric issues last year, a rise of 6% on 2023. The number of mental health call-outs has been rising steadily for years and includes serious as well as minor incidents, police say.