Major fire in Porsgrunn

Fire in Porsgrunn..Photo: Audun Braastad / NTB scanpix

A fire in an old, prestigious wooden building in Porsgrunn has been extinguished.

At 21:30 on Thursday, the flames rose from the roof of a large, older wooden building.

Due to the high probability of it spreading, neighbouring buildings in the area were evacuated. In total, 19 people were evacuated, said police.

In the early hours of the morning, the fire department and police were still on the spot.

‘’They are there to prevent the fire from igniting again. There has also been security work on the site,” said operations manager, Rune Hunshamar, of the Southeastern Police District to NTB news.

“It’s too early to say anything about the fire’s cause. The case is being investigated in the usual way when there is a conflagration. We are interested in information from people who may have seen something or that could help illuminate what has happened,’’ said the operation manager.

The building that houses Galleri Osebro, and Café K, is totally damaged. Valuables worth millions have been lost.

A total of 70 firemen from Porsgrunn, Bamble, and Skien were sent to fight the flames. Also,the Red Cross brigade were sent to the place. The mayor of Porsgrunn, Robin Kåss,commended the efforts of the emergency services.

“I am very impressed with the fire service, including 70 firemen in turn, and three trucks.

Solid efforts were made to limit the fire. It was very demanding, Kåss told NTB news during the night.

The fire chief of Porsgrunn, Morten Meen Gallefos, reported that there was major water damage in the old wooden buildings due to the efforts made to prevent proliferation of the fire.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today