Fire breaks out in commercial and residential building in Otta

A major fire has broken out in a mixed-use building in the centre of Otta, Norway, with open flames visible from the roof and second floor, according to emergency services.

The blaze was reported on Wednesday afternoon in a building housing both a veterinary clinic and residential apartments, Norwegian news site Dagbladet reports. As of 17:50 local time, no injuries have been confirmed, and all residents have been accounted for, operations manager Bård Einar Hoft stated in an update.

Firefighters remain on site but have not yet gained control of the fire, which continues to produce heavy smoke. “We do not have control. There are still open flames from the roof and on the second floor, with significant smoke development,” said Ole G. Stenbrenden, duty officer at the Innlandet 110 emergency centre, at 17:20.

Stenbrenden described the situation as improving, noting that crews are attacking the fire from both sides with large volumes of water. The building, described as older and sizable, is located near Otta train station, though rail traffic on the Oslo-Trondheim line remains unaffected for now.

Sigrid Jermstad, a veterinarian at the clinic inside the building, confirmed that no animals or staff were present at the time of the fire. “We only had daytime clinic hours today and had already closed at 16:00. There are no animals or people there now,” she told Dagbladet.