A view of Delft after the explosion of 1654

In 1654, a powder magazine in Delft storing approximately 90,000 pounds of gun powder caught fire and exploded. The explosion destroyed a large section of the city and killed between 500 and 1,000 of its residents, including van der Poel's own daughter and the city’s most promising painter, Carel Fabritius. As an indication of the event’s contemporary significance, van der Poel painted at least twelve panels of this subject, one of which is today in the National Gallery, London. Each is inscribed with the date of the explosion, 12 October 1654. While some represent the moment of the explosion itself, many, such as this composition, depict its aftermath in which the town’s inhabitants help the injured and begin to tackle the debris.