Twenty girls were taking classes there at that time. In the blink of an eye, the blazing phosphorus turned the wooden building into a searing inferno. Some were able to save themselves in the nick of time by jumping out of the windows, as the exit was blocked. Seven girls did not manage to escape and lost their lives. They were aged between 15 and 18.                                                                                      

The sewing school was not the only place affected. Buildings on Beekstraat, the kindergarten in Schutterspark, the convent, the clay workshop and the Green Cross building were also hit. There were no fatalities here. After the British aircraft had dropped its fatal load, it crashed just outside Brunssum.