Volunteers search for missing cats after Krokstadelva blaze

NORWAY (Dagbladet) — Nine cats remain missing six days after Norway’s largest fire in a century tore through a residential area in Krokstadelva, prompting round-the-clock searches by volunteers.

Teams from Dyrebeskyttelsen Norge Oslo og Akershus, assisting local Drammen chapter, have been combing the ruins since authorities granted access on Wednesday under civil defence supervision. They distribute dry food and set humane traps in slopes, under terraces, garages and bushes, but report no new finds during the latest sweep.

Celina Wiik, deputy chair and team leader for Team Cat in the Oslo-Akershus branch, told Dagbladet the animals depend on being located quickly. “We mourn the animals that did not survive, but our focus is on those injured and stranded without access to help,” she said. “They can linger for days in pain.”

Searchers were previously barred from entering due to ongoing safety assessments by police. On Wednesday they received permission to resume under civil defence escort. Earlier efforts included the use of heat-seeking cameras set to 20°C and a cat-specialist tracking dog, neither of which detected movement.

So far volunteers have recovered 21 cats reported missing, one of which was euthanised. Among the survivors is Luna, whose owner Markus Heltne Damli described severe burns to her face, ears, paws and nose but noted she remains in generally good condition. Damli’s other cat, Felix, is among those still unaccounted for.

Wiik said several of the missing cats have been spotted alive, raising hopes of further rescues.