About 500 pigs burned inside the farm building at Sele in Klepp municipality on the night of Wednesday. This makes the fire the most serious in Norwegian agriculture in a long time. The cause of the fire is currently unknown. According to the police, they have no theory at such an early stage, and they are now waiting for assistance from forensics from Stavanger, which will not arrive until next week. Regardless of the cause, this type of fire occurs with the loss of many livestock, far less often than just a few years ago. In 2021, a total of 123 fires were registered in operational buildings with damages of approximately NOK 100,000. This is the lowest that has ever been recorded, says Landbruket’s fire protection committee. Two pigs died last year In only three of these fires was wildlife lost; in total, eight hens, 100 pheasants and two pigs died – the livestock that has been hardest hit by fires in agriculture. This is a marked decrease from 2011. This year alone, 2,100 pigs lost their lives in a fire. In the five-year period between 2006 and 2011, a total of 8,000 pigs died in fires. – After this, it was important to start an investment in increased fire safety for livestock, and especially pigs, says Pål-Arne Oulie, advisor to the Norwegian Farmers’ Association and former chairman of the Board of Directors of the Agriculture Fire Protection Committee. 500 pigs burned last night inside a pig barn at Sele på Jæren. Photo: Heidi Karin Gilje Skog The investment in increased fire safety in operational buildings has yielded results. In the next ten years after the “horror year” 2011, a total of just over 500 pigs lost their lives in fires. In other words, as many – or as few – as in the one fire on Jæren on the night of Wednesday. After 2011 there was, among other things, a requirement for a fire alarm system and electrical control at least every three years. In addition, there must be escape routes and ventilation so that fire or smoke gases are not drawn into the livestock room. – 2 out of 3 fires in such livestock buildings have started in the electrical system. That is why the Swedish Fire Protection Committee has tackled flammable electrical faults. We have run 20,000 fire prevention checks on electrical installations, where we have used a heat-seeking camera that sees overheating in electrical connections, says Oulie. Has rectified thousands of serious errors According to Oulie, the controls have uncovered and rectified thousands of serious, flammable errors in livestock facilities. And the frequency of such fires has decreased. – But we have an ongoing job of developing control of the electrical system. We are now testing a solution where sensors will monitor in safety cabinets. In addition, several farmers have taken courses in fire safety, says Oulie. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority also works to prevent such incidents, and has frequent inspections of livestock buildings. Veterinarian Ann Therese Kommedal believes that the requirements from the authorities for agriculture are currently strict enough. – Tragedies and accidents will always happen. It is difficult to reach a point where such incidents do not occur. But there has been a big decrease in such fires, says Kommedal. Ann Therese Kommedal, veterinarian at the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / news Experienced the nightmare One of the few who has been affected by similar, extensive livestock fires in recent years is Jarle Haugsland from Erfjord in Suldal in Rogaland. He experienced the nightmare six years ago, and knows a lot about what the fire-stricken pig producers at Jæren are now going through. – It will come up again. I feel the same feelings, and feel for the person who experienced this here, says Haugsland. He himself managed to save all the cattle, but 200 pigs burned inside, and the farm building was in ruins. – I received a message from the children that there was a fire, and we started evacuating the animals. There was chaos in the head and around everything. It was dramatic. Suddenly everything is turned upside down, says Haugsland to news. Six years ago, Jarle Haugsland’s pig barn in Erfjord burned down. He sympathizes with the farmer who lost 500 pigs last night. Photo: Magnus Stokka / news The cause of the fire in Erfjord was probably a fault in the electrical system. For Haugsland, the way forward was to sit down to gather his thoughts and think ahead. He was up and running again around a year after the fire, and now runs suckler cows and fattening pigs. – There’s no point in digging yourself in. You have to start again, he says.
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Agriculture has taken action – almost no animals die in fires anymore – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
