He has lived in Kragerø all his life. Now he lives just a few minutes away from the buildings that burned at the weekend. Stein Lundgren and other residents of the city center see everything up close. – We stood there and looked and thought that this is scary. Then we saw flames. After a short while we saw that it was in a bright hat. A pile of ruins Two days after the fire, the residents in the heart of Kragerø are about to get an overview of what they have lost. In daylight there are many impressions. – I see a huge pile of ruins. I feared it would have gone much worse, says Lundgren. Three buildings were completely damaged in the fire that started on Saturday evening. It was not until 07:00 on Sunday morning that the fire crews could state that a large city fire had been averted. – It affects people very hard. Definitely. People are afraid. Stein Lundgren talks to other residents of Kragerø after the fire. He says the fire is taking a toll on people in the city. Photo: Robert Hansen / news Lundgren also knows that it could have been so much worse. – The whole of Kragerø has probably feared this for years. It was not that long ago that two people died just meters from where the fire was now, he says. Only heard a faint smoke alarm On Saturday evening, Karin Bjune Sveen walked through the streets of Kragerø. At the square she smelled smoke. She could see smoke billowing from one of the buildings. The only thing she heard was a faint smoke alarm. Sveen called 110 immediately. Then work began on notifying the residents. – We ran around, knocked on doors and got people to come out because of the smoke. Karin Bjune Sveen spotted the first smoke and notified 110 and residents. Photo: Robert Hansen / news On Sunday she was back at the square. The completely damaged buildings were a stark sight. – When I see it today, I’m very glad I called. I didn’t think it was such a large scale, says Sveen. In retrospect, she finds it strange that the weak smoke detector was the only signal that the inhabitants of the dense wooden building were in danger. – In any case, there should have been a notification to those who live in the same building, as the houses merge into each other, she believes. Calls for better notification Andreas Meidel spends as much time as he can in Kragerø. His father lives directly behind one of the houses that burned. – If it had burned almost anywhere else in the city center, this would have gone much, much worse, he believes. – We were lucky. But fire safety should not be based on luck, says Andreas Meidel. Photo: Robert Hansen / news Meidel is calling for measures to improve fire safety. He refers to a notification system such as at the listed wooden house development in Risør. – Why not import good thoughts to this city. If it works elsewhere I certainly think we should do the same. Meidel believes the oldest building in the city should have external sprinklers. Relief Mayor Grunde Wegar Knudsen is relieved that there was no major fire in the city. Knudsen believes that much has been done to improve fire safety in the city centre, but admits that there are some challenges. – We have sprinkling outside and inside in newly restored buildings. But there are buildings dating back to the 17th century. And the houses are close. Grunde Wegar Knudsen is mayor of Kragerø municipality. Photo: John-Andre Samuelsen / news The mayor believes that more houses in the city center should have sprinkler systems, but points out that the municipality is not allowed to order farm owners to install them. – We will look at this as well. The experts can assess afterwards how this can be done even better, says Knudsen. A heat-seeking camera like the one in Risør has also been considered in Kragerø, he says. According to the mayor, such a camera would have had no say this time. – The fire service says they were in action before the flames broke out. – People in the city should be able to sleep safely The fire brigade is praised for their efforts in extinguishing the fire. Morten Dahlen is a task leader in Grenland fire and rescue. He was there shortly after the fire broke out. Morten Dahlen, emergency manager in Grenland fire and rescue. Photo: Berit Heggholmen / news The buildings that stood next to the buildings that burned had facade sprinklers. According to Dahlen, it was one of the reasons why these buildings are still standing. He believes there is no reason to lose sleep over fear of a major fire in Kragerø. – People in the city should be able to sleep safely, he says.
ttn-69
– This is what the whole of Kragerø has feared for years – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
