A fire at a townhouse in southern Norway that destroyed 100 homes has been brought under control, fire officials said Saturday.
Local media described the fire as the largest in the Nordic nation in more than a century.
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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 it engulfed rows of homes in the town.
It then spread rapidly through neighborhoods and surrounding forests due to strong winds and exceptionally dry conditions, officials said.
newspaper Aftenposten It was reported that more than 400 people were evacuated.
Public broadcaster NRK said firefighters from several districts were deployed throughout the night to try to bring the blaze under control.
Local media reported that several helicopters used to extinguish forest fires were also deployed.
By Saturday lunch time, Aftenposten Officials were quoted as saying that there is now no major danger of the fire spreading to residential areas, but firefighters have not yet gained control over the forested areas.
Police said no deaths were reported, but one firefighter suffered minor injuries and several people were treated for smoke inhalation.
newspaper Dagbladet The report said the scene resembled a war zone, with burnt cars and burnt houses.
Prime Minister described the fire as ‘extremely shocking’
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Storr expressed his condolences to the people who lost their homes in the fire.
“My thoughts are also with the fire and rescue teams and volunteers who are now attending to the difficult task of extinguishing the fire and making every effort to prevent the fire from spreading,” he wrote on social media.
Officials say although dry conditions may have helped the fire spread quickly, they do not yet know what sparked the initial fire.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery
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