Rain, lightning and thunder are heading north. We are not so happy about lightning and thunder, but rain is good, says Jan Rundtom of the Norwegian Rescue Service to NTB.
At the same time, the thunderstorm could create problems for fire helicopters, which have not been able to assist firefighters during the night because they cannot be flown in the dark.
The extensive fire, which started in a row house area and has destroyed over 100 homes, continues to require major efforts. During the night to Saturday, firefighters struggled to contain the fire, which had spread to several places in the terrain.
Jan Rundtom says that new forces have been called in to the work.
The firefighters have been given a rest, and new people have been brought in, he tells NTB.
Calmed down a bit
Police chief Frode Presthus announced late Friday evening that the fire had calmed down somewhat and had not spread to any more homes. The situation was the same on Saturday morning.
The containment lines that have been set up have worked and the fire has not spread outside them, Presthus tells NTB.
The fire could be one of the largest residential fires in Norway in over 100 years, according to NTB.
“Everything is gone”
Jonas Korani is one of several hundred who were evacuated on Friday. He had just returned home when he heard a strange noise on Friday afternoon.
"I thought maybe the neighbor was mowing the grass or something," he tells VG.
When he looked out the window, he saw that the neighbor's house was on fire. He ran out into the garden and tried to stop the fire from spreading. But the flames were getting closer.
"It was too hot. I couldn't stand it anymore," says Korani.
As he walked back into the house, he heard the windows start to crack and then explode.
It was so scary.
He had lived in the house since 2016.
Everything is gone, he tells VG from a hotel room in Drammen.
During the evacuation operation, a firefighter suffered minor burns. A person from the civil defense suffered smoke inhalation and was taken to hospital. Eight police officers were examined by medical personnel after inhaling smoke during the operation.
On Saturday, an information meeting for the evacuees and a press conference about the fire will be held.
