More than 100 homes were destroyed in the fire that broke out last week in a row house area in Drammen, Norway. 400 people were evacuated in what authorities described as the largest fire of its kind in Norway in modern times. The extinguishing work is expected to last another ten days, reports Norwegian newspaper VG.
Nothing similar has happened in Sweden, says Anders Edstam, head of the rescue services department at MCF.
It was an extreme situation, he says, explaining that it could have been the result of three unfortunate circumstances.
The area is built on a steep slope, so when the flames rise from one house, they come very close to those located higher up the hill.
The distance wasn't enough
The second is the strong wind and the third is that it was preceded by a long period of drought.
All combustible materials such as facades, everything is dried out and can then burn more easily.
According to regulations, there should be a certain distance between, for example, villas in a residential area - so that a fire doesn't start in one resident's home just because it does in the neighbor's. But in this case, the wind was so strong that the distance wasn't enough, which led to the fire jumping, says Edstam.
It could happen in Sweden too. In densely populated areas and strong winds, there are difficulties.
What should you do if a fire breaks out in your home? According to Edstam, the most important thing is to have a working smoke alarm and a fire extinguisher, and preferably a fire blanket.
All fires are small at first, so you have to put them out before they get bigger.
Most importantly, escape
Fires often occur when residents are not at home, which is more difficult to do anything about, which is when the fire department comes into play.
It is also complicated when fires come from outside - and in the case of the devastating fire in Drammen, the residents of the area could not have done anything differently.
The most important thing is to be able to save yourself and your family, and get out if it is an environment that is dangerous to be in.
They had to flee from there. It wouldn't have mattered how many rescue services you had on site, you can't do anything at that stage.
