A fire that broke out in a townhouse in southern Norway before destroying a hundred homes has been mostly brought under control, fire officials said Saturday.
Local media described the blaze as the largest in the Nordic nationĀ for more than a century.
What do we know?
The fire on the outskirts ofĀ the city of Drammen, about 34 kilometers (21 miles) from Oslo,Ā broke out around 3:30 p.m. local time (1330 UTC/GMT)Ā on Friday, before ripping through a row of townhouses.
It then quickly spread through the neighborhood and towardĀ nearby forests due to strong winds and exceptionally dry conditions, officials said.
Newspaper AftenpostenĀ reported that more than 400 people were evacuated.
Public broadcaster NRK said firefighters were brought in from several districts to workĀ through the night to try to bring the blaze under control.
Several helicopters used to extinguish forest fires were also deployed, local media reported.
By Saturday lunchtime, AftenpostenĀ cited officials as saying there was no longer a major risk of the fire spreading within residential areas, but that firefighters hadn’t yet gained control over forested areas.Ā
No deaths were reported, police said, but one firefighter was slightly injured andĀ several people were treated for smoke inhalation.
Newspaper Dagbladet reported that the sceneĀ resembles a war zone, withĀ burned-out cars and burned-down houses.Ā
PM describes fire as ‘deeply shocking’
Prime MinisterĀ Jonas Gahr Store sent his condolences to those who lost their homes in the fire.
“My thoughts also go out to the fire and rescue crews and volunteers who are now taking part in the very demanding extinguishing work and are doing all they can to prevent the fire from spreading,” he wrote on social media.
Officials say while the dry conditions may have helped the blazeĀ to spread quickly, they don’t yet know what caused the initial fire.Ā
Edited by: Wesley Dockery
Don’t let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred news source on Google by clicking here, so you’ll always see our verified news first.