Norway: Huge fire destroys 100 homes, sparks evacuations

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 nation for more than a century.

What do we know?

The fire on the outskirts of the city of Drammen, about 34 kilometers (21 miles) from Oslo, broke out around 3:30 p.m. local time (1330 UTC/GMT) on Friday, before ripping through a row of townhouses.

It then quickly spread through the neighborhood and toward nearby forests due to strong winds and exceptionally dry conditions, officials said.

Newspaper Aftenposten reported that more than 400 people were evacuated.

Public broadcaster NRK said firefighters were brought in from several districts to work 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, Aftenposten 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.

No deaths were reported, police said, but one firefighter was slightly injured and several people were treated for smoke inhalation.

Newspaper Dagbladet reported that the scene resembles a war zone, with burned-out cars and burned-down houses.

PM describes fire as 'deeply shocking'

Prime Minister 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 blaze to spread quickly, they don't yet know what caused the initial fire.

Edited by: Wesley Dockery

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