PHOTOS: Three houses badly damaged in a major fire in Risør

Three buildings have been badly damaged after a big fire in the wooden house district in Risør on Wednesday morning. No injuries have been reported.

“The fire service announced a short time ago that they are starting to get good control at the scene. There is no danger of immediate spread,” operations manager Lars Hyberg of Agder Police District told news bureau NTB at 8:45 AM. It was then four hours since the police first reported the fire in the wooden house district on the outskirts of Risør center.

“There is a danger that it may smolder somewhere, so we cannot be categorical that the fire has been extinguished,” the operations manager said.

Just over three quarters of an hour later, it was announced on Twitter that the fire service has control of the fire.

Flashover

The emergency services reacted to a fire report on Storgata at 4:45. Shortly afterward, it was reported that there was a full flashover in the building and that work was being done to evacuate adjacent buildings. 

A little over an hour later, the fire had spread to a new building. Two buildings were already on fire, and the emergency services were working on getting a full overview.

At that time, the police stated that they had control of the residents who were registered at the addresses where it burned. At 9 o’clock it looked as if the fire had only led to material damage.

“As of now, no one is missing in connection with the fire,” Hyberg said.

Coffee, food, and woolen blankets

According to the police, three buildings were completely damaged in the fire.

“In addition, there is a fourth adjacent building that has received limited damage,” the operations manager said.

Around 30 people have been evacuated to Town Hall. Risør Mayor Per Kristian Lunden said that the city is strongly affected by the fire.

“We have gathered 25–30 people at the old Town Hall in the center. It is warm and good there, and we have coffee, food, and woolen blankets if anyone needs them,” the mayor told NTB. In addition, some have lodged with friends and family.

“It affects the town strongly now. The big fear we have is a fire that is spreading,” said Lunden.

Discovered by heat-seeking cameras

There are wooden houses in the area that are very close to each other, and the fire started in an older wooden house.

“Risør is one of the Nordic region’s and Europe’s best-preserved whole wooden house towns, so we can’t afford to lose any of them,” the mayor said. He said that the fire was detected by heat-seeking cameras.

“We have a very efficient fire service that receives good help from neighboring municipalities. It was heat-seeking cameras that helped detect the fire. 

“The cameras are at heights around the city and report to the fire brigade. It is currently too early to say what could be the cause of the fire. A tactical and technical investigation will be initiated in connection with the fire when it has been extinguished and cooled down,” the police informed.

Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews

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