On Tuesday evening, many neighbors on Aspøya in Ålesund got a shock when two gas cylinders were feared to explode. – We cannot remember that we have had a similar incident in our area of responsibility before, says Helge Johan Berg, senior guard at Ålesund fire brigade. It all started with an explosive car fire in the neighbourhood. Soon after, the fire brigade discovered two gas cylinders with the highly explosive gas acetylene inside the car. Acetylene is a fuel gas that, together with oxygen, is used for welding. The fire brigade cooled the car with the gas cylinders on Tuesday evening. Photo: Frederik Winness Ringnes / news Investigating the case The police brought in a sniper who shot holes in the bottles, to prevent them from exploding in the heat from the car fire. Two people were sent to hospital and the occupants of four houses were evacuated for several hours as a result of the explosion hazard. According to the lawyer on duty in the police, Sander Brink, a case has been opened and they are investigating the case. He says there is nothing to indicate that it is a criminal incident, but it is early in the investigation and they will make more inquiries. The owner of the car: – Got a shock Ole Henrik Eidsvik owns the car. He said that he had seen it at a friend’s place who was supposed to look at a problem with the engine. The car was parked on one of the islands in Ålesund almost two months ago, according to Eidsvik. When the police called on Tuesday and told him about the car fire on Aspøya, he was shocked. – The first thing I thought was that it must be a mistake. The police wondered if I had gas bottles in the car and I knew nothing about that. I was furious when I heard that the car had been used without my being asked. – It was surreal to be mixed up in the evacuation and the danger of an explosion. I saw that it was my car and was mildly shocked. Ole Henrik Eidsvik owns the car that caught fire on Tuesday. Photo: Frederik Winness Ringnes / news Ole Henrik Eidsvik says the car is only used as a spare car, but now it is completely destroyed. – I just have to take the loss. I doubt the insurance company covers this. The car is registered to me, so I don’t know what happens next and whether the police find out who drove the car. news has been in contact with the friend who was supposed to look at the car, but he will not comment as long as the case is under investigation. Naudetatane was released on Tuesday. Photo: Frederik Winness Ringnes / Frederik Ringnes – The freight must proceed without unnecessary delay Photo: Frederik Winness Ringnes / news Helge Johan Berg at the Ålesund fire service says they do not know the details of the incident on Tuesday. He says there are regulations on the transport of dangerous goods that regulate what is legal and what is not. – There is an opening for transporting small amounts of flammable gas in vehicles, but the prerequisite is that it must be properly secured. The freight must proceed without unnecessary delay, and the material must be locked when you arrive. Published 25/09/2024, at 16.52 Updated 25.09.2024, at 17.20
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