Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Jul 18
Drammen Fire Destroys 100-Plus Homes, Forcing Hundreds to Evacuate
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Jul 18

Drammen Fire Destroys 100-Plus Homes, Forcing Hundreds to Evacuate

3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Jul 18

Summary

  • More than 100 homes were destroyed in Drammen after a fire that began in a townhouse Friday afternoon spread through a residential area and into nearby forests.
  • Firefighters were still working Saturday to bring the blaze under control, while authorities called it Norway’s largest residential fire in modern times.
  • Hundreds of people were sent to an evacuation center, and police said no residents had been reported missing.
  • The cause was still unclear; earlier reports said one firefighter was injured and strong winds and dry conditions helped drive the fire roughly 34 kilometers southwest of Oslo.

Insights

Was Norway's worst fire in a century an unavoidable climate disaster or a preventable urban planning failure?
Beyond condolences, what concrete policy changes will leaders enact to prevent another 'war zone' fire in Norway?
As record wildfires become Europe's new normal, are traditional Nordic building practices now dangerously obsolete?