School burned down in Evenes

Fire at Liland school in Evenes.Photo: Ragnar Bøifot / Fremover / NTB scanpix

The Junior Wing at Liland school in Evenes municipality in Nordland was completely destroyed in a fire on Tuesday. No one was injured in the fire, but many neighbors were evacuated.

The elementary school, administration wing and gymnastics building was saved by the efforts of fire crews from Bjerkvik Evenes and Avinor. It was also calm weather on Tuesday, which eased the extinguishing work.
The fire was reported just before 6 o’clock Tuesday morning. According to a journalist from Fremover that was early in place, the school quickly set on fire. Local firefighters received help from the fire department at the airport at Evenes, located ten minutes drive away.
Neighbors of the school were evacuated to Liland nursing homes because of heavy smoke.
– We have not received reports of injuries, said operations manager Kåre Munkvold from the police in Harstad to news agency NTB.
Liland school is the only school in Evenes, and it has about 150 students from 1st- to 10th-grade. The school was set to start up teaching after the Christmas holidays on Wednesday 4th January.
Chief Steinar Sørensen says that they do not have an overview of how the next few days for the school will go.
– If it is medically prudent, we aim to gather all the students in the gym on Wednesday. This may be a short day of school, with an emphasis on information to students, he says on the municipality’s website.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today