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Norwegian police reported that the fire which broke out Friday in a row-house area outside Drammen, roughly 50 kilometres west of Oslo, had razed more than 100 homes by evening with the flames moving rapidly into adjacent woodland. Rescue officials said hundreds of residents were evacuated from the zone while emergency teams worked through the night and no deaths or missing persons had been recorded. The fire remained out of control according to local authorities who cited strong winds as a factor complicating containment efforts across the affected district.
A Reuters dispatch quoted Red Cross worker Thomas Evjen explaining the speed of the destruction. Evjen told Reuters, “It says something about the heat we’ve had lately. It’s been very dry. So once the fire started, it spread quickly. That’s what we’ve seen.” Initial accounts from the scene placed the toll at more than 50 homes before later updates from officials revised the figure upward beyond 100. Several reports noted explosions heard as the fire consumed structures in the southern Norwegian town.
Footage circulated by international outlets including the BBC captured helicopters dumping water directly onto burning buildings in repeated passes above the smoke-filled skyline. Dozens of firefighters remained on site according to police updates with ground crews supported by aerial operations to prevent further expansion toward additional residential zones. The coordinated response drew on regional resources as authorities worked to protect unaffected properties on the perimeter of the fire zone.
Reuters correspondent Terje Solsvik reported that the origin of the blaze had not been determined with investigators expected to examine the site once conditions permit safe access. Earlier assessments from emergency services highlighted how prolonged dry weather had left vegetation and structures highly susceptible once ignition occurred. Community members have already initiated dugnad, a traditional Norwegian volunteer effort, to assist displaced families with immediate needs, multiple local accounts stated.
Updates from rescue officials confirmed that all evacuated residents were accounted for at temporary shelters established in the Drammen vicinity. The scale of property loss prompted activation of national emergency protocols for damage assessment and support distribution to those affected. Police urged the public to avoid the area to allow uninterrupted operations by fire and medical teams still deployed on the ground.
Separate coverage from regional monitors indicated the fire marked one of the more extensive residential incidents in Norway in recent years with similar events previously linked to summer drought conditions across parts of the country. Officials continued to monitor weather forecasts for any shift in wind direction that could alter the fire’s path. Further details on rebuilding timelines or insurance implications were not immediately available from the authorities.
