This is the 307th most frequent Dutch word.
gebeurde
"Occurred" or "happened."
The word 'gebeurde' here is the past tense of 'gebeuren' and refers to an event that occurred in the past.
Wat gisteren gebeurde, heeft ons allemaal verbaasd.
What happened yesterday surprised us all.
In this sentence, 'gebeurde' is used to describe a series of past actions occurring rapidly.
Het gebeurde allemaal zo snel dat ik nauwelijks kon reageren.
It all happened so quickly that I could hardly react.
'Gebeurde' is employed to specify a particular incident (in this case, a fire) that took place previously.