In the dense wooden house environment by the square in central Kragerø, fire crews from several fire stations in Telemark and Agder are fighting to get the flames under control. The alarm went off just after 8pm on Saturday evening. The fire crews are still not in control, although they are beginning to gain an overview. The fire has spread to three houses. The extinguishing is difficult, according to fire chief Morten Meen Gallefoss. Fire chief Morten Meen Gallefoss Photo: Leif Dalen / news – Using a drone to look for flames – It’s intense and difficult. The dense built-up area makes it difficult to control the fire, says the fire chief. – I dare not say that we have control. We have an overview, but not control. We have crews around the whole block burning, he said at a press briefing at the town hall at 01.30 last night. With a ladder truck and drones, the firefighters are looking for signs that the fire is finding new paths in the densely built-up city center in Kragerø Photo: Leif Dalen / news Gallefoss says that in addition to extinguishing from the ground and from ladder trucks, the fire service uses smoke divers and a drone to look for flames. – It is difficult because it spreads from section to section. The fire gases move from cavity to cavity. The fire service will have people in the center throughout the night, and tomorrow, to prevent further spread, says Gallefoss. Around 22 there was a heavy fire in the building where the fire started on the 1st floor. Photo: Theo Aasland Valen / news Fear of a major fire The residents news has spoken to in Kragerø say that they fear a major urban fire. – Evacuees cannot count on being able to return home tonight, the municipality writes on its website at 01:00. Fire crews from several neighboring towns are participating in the extinguishing. Between 70 and 80 firefighters and smoke divers are in place. For several hours, large ladder trucks from the fire service have been pouring water down on the buildings that are on fire. They also water the listed buildings around so that embers and ash from the fire do not get a hold. For a long time there was a great danger of spreading, Marianne Mørch, operations manager in the South-East police, told news just after midnight. news’s Veronica Westhrin says that the fire is “in the heart of the center of Kragerø”. An area where the buildings are close together. news’s reporter at the scene could see open flames from the roof of the building where the fire started at around 9.40pm. So far, no injuries have been reported. All the houses in the quarter around where the fire started were quickly evacuated. Gradually, an increasingly large part of the city center was evacuated. People who were in restaurants and eateries were sent home, and the entire city center was blocked off. Outside the barricades and on the heights around the center, Kragerø residents and visitors stood and watched the extinguishing efforts. The smoke lies close above the city, which tonight is dominated by blue, intense lights from the emergency services’ many vehicles. If you have photos or video of the events in Kragerø – tip news here. Mayor: Everyone has to get out – We emptied the district of people because we had to block off the streets. Then we set up cordons and evacuated everyone who lives nearby, says mayor Grunde Wegar Knudsen to news. Mayor Grunde Wegar Knudsen Photo: Leif Dalen / news He says both restaurants and nightclubs have been evacuated. Despair and uncertainty A total of 30 people have been evacuated by the municipality, who have received help from volunteers in the Red Cross Aid Corps and Norwegian People’s Aid. The police state on Twitter that a total of over 50 people have been evacuated from the area around the quarter where there is a fire. 20 of the evacuees are accommodated at Kragerø Sportell, where the municipality has set up an evacuation centre. The municipality’s psychosocial crisis team is present and takes care of those who are there, the municipality states on its website. The other evacuees have arranged private shelter, according to the mayor. The extensive fire can be seen from a distance, and it is clear that it is challenging to carry out extinguishing work in the narrow city streets. Photo: Theo Aasland Valen / news – I spoke to some of the evacuees before they left the town hall. They are despondent, uncertain and frightened, says the mayor. – Kragerø’s soul He is affected by what is happening, and mourns on behalf of the town. The houses affected by the fire are located right next to listed wooden buildings in the center of Kragerø. – It is part of the soul of Kragerø, so we hope and believe that we will gain control over the situation and save as much as possible, says mayor Knudsen. The fire service is working to extinguish the fire in the center of Kragerø. In the background you can see several people who have gathered at the barricades. Photo: Leif Dalen / news – Very scary Resident Marit Hestangen lives near the city centre. – I was told that I didn’t have to go to bed for a while, says Hestangen, about what she was told at the town hall. She remembers the big fire in Kragerø in 2009, where two people died. – I think it’s quite scary to live in such a densely built-up area with only wooden houses. Simply very scary. Then I think that with flames, we have to be very careful with that, says Hestangen. Residents of Kragerø look down on the fire from a vantage point some distance away. Photo: Theo Aasland Valen / news Large resources on site The fire started in a shop on Torvet in the center of Kragerø, before it spread to the 2nd and 3rd floors of the same building. The alarm went off at 20.07. By midnight the fire had spread to another building, and an hour later it was reported that a third house had also caught fire. Sør-East 110 informs news that fire crews from both Kragerø, Bamble, Porsgrunn, Drangedal, Skien and Gjerstad are on the scene. The public is encouraged to stay away from the area to make room for emergency crews. The fire service is working in narrow city streets to prevent the fire from developing further. Photo: Veronica Westhrin / news Riksantikvaren: – Angstelig Kragerø, like many other “coastal towns”, has dense wooden housing in parts of the town. Some of this wooden housing development is defined by the National Antiquities Authority as conservation-worthy, dense wooden housing development. These are areas that have cultural and historical value and are particularly exposed to fire. The fire therefore causes concern that important buildings will be lost. – Now I’m anxious. There are great cultural and environmental values here that we risk losing in a city that many people know and are happy about, says national antiquarian Hanna Geiran to news. In this map, the special, dense wooden housing development in Kragerø can be seen shaded in red. The fire is very close to one of these areas: Both the conservation authorities and the fire service are particularly afraid of fire in such areas because fires can then quickly spread. Larger areas around these buildings are also defined as being particularly prone to fires spreading. The National Antiquarian says that she hopes that the fire service will get control. – The houses are so close together. So preventing the fire from spreading to more houses is important. The fire department is very good. Therefore, we have to believe and hope that this goes well. The fire has spread from the first to the third floor of the house where the fire started. In addition, it has spread to two other buildings. Photo: Leif Dalen / news
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Violent fire in old wooden building in Kragerø – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
