Englegård in Tvedestrand burned to the ground – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio

– We were greeted by a lot of smoke and couldn’t even see the big building. The fire had spread along the wall of the house and the flames were in the air, says task leader Toralf Juva of the Østre Agder fire service. According to the fire service, it became clear early on that Englegård in Tvedestrand could not be saved. There was a report of an automatic fire alarm and the fire brigade arrived at the scene at half past two last night. The flames were through the roof There was a heavy fire at Englegård last night, and in addition to the fire brigade in Tvedestrand, crews and equipment came from Østre Agder Fire Brigade in Arendal, Vegårshei and Grimstad. – It was a raging bonfire and completely burnt out, so it must have happened quickly, says neighbor Lars Albert Albretsen. The fire crews ensured a controlled burn down of the house, and were concerned with preventing it from spreading to the other houses in Myklebostad. – We have not been able to save anything from the house, says Juva. The sprinkler system did not work The property Englegård in Tvedestrand burned to the ground last night. – This building is sprinklered, but it didn’t work and then we have little chance when sparks fly up into the air as well, says Juva. Fortunately, it was quite windy. The fire service received a report about the flames coming through the roof just before two o’clock. There were no people inside the building. Sparks from the violent fire may have spread in the area, and the fire crews will keep watch to check that nothing flares up in the terrain. – We are going to be here all day, says Toralf Juva, head of the Østre Agder fire service. The building is owned by the brothers Rune and Jørn Hellevik through the property company Refsor AS. They bought it in 2015, and in the years they have owned the building it has been both a treatment centre, a refugee reception and a boarding house there. That’s what Tvedestrandsposten writes. After the drug treatment business of the two brothers went bankrupt in 2021, an emergency department for Ukrainian refugees was started there last spring. Last summer, when the last refugee had left, a boarding house was also run for a short period. Last autumn, the property was put up for sale.



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