Just over 80 people from 47 apartments have been evacuated, says the Governor of Svalbard in a press release. There will be a lot of fire and smoke at the site. – The houses are very dense here, so there is a risk of spreading. We are now evacuating several houses, says Chief of Staff, Kjell Arne Lundin to news. At 20:00 on Sunday evening, the fire service was still working hard to put out the fire. The fire is in an apartment. The apartments are located in rows in the area. – The risk of spreading is unchanged. We are working hard to prevent the fire from spreading to other buildings, says communications adviser to the Governor, Eva Therese Jenssen. Has set up a crisis team The mayor was notified of the fire at 5.40pm. There were three people in the apartment when the fire started. – They have been evacuated and are unharmed. Adjacent apartments have been evacuated, the Governor states in a press release. The local council in Longyearbyen has appointed a crisis staff. This is what local board chairman Terje Aunevik says to news. – No one has been reported missing, and it seems that the situation is under control. But there is some wind in the area. Several residents will need a place to stay tonight. Photo: Anja Charlotte Markussen Hansen / Svalbardposten The local council and the Mayor have issued a message to the residents of Longyearbyen to keep windows closed. – We have also sent out a warning that people should stay away from the area. There is a lot of smoke, which can be harmful to breathe. Gathering those affected at the public library They are now working on setting up a center to gather those affected. – There are a number of people who will need a home, at least overnight. Because there is a lot of smoke in the area. We are opening the library, and we have checked that there is good capacity in hotels. We feel that we have good control over the situation, as it looks now, says Aunevik. Local board chairman in Longyearbyen, Terje Aunevik. Photo: Jannicke Mikkelsen / news More people can be freed from water The local board leader says it is close between the houses in the area where the fire is. – There is probably both smoke and water damage in nearby homes as well, he says. The local council announces at 19.30 that they have to close several water pumps in the city. That’s because of the ongoing extinguishing work. This means that more people will get poorer water pressure. At times, households can also be completely without water, it is stated. Therefore, people are encouraged to limit the use of water.
ttn-69
Fire in a residential area in Longyearbyen – news Troms and Finnmark
