Fire hydrants dry at start of Krokstadelva blaze

The first three fire hydrants crews tried to use during the major blaze in Krokstadelva were dry, the Drammensregionen fire service confirmed to VG and Dagbladet.

Kristin Grudeland, press officer for the Drammensregionen fire service, stated in an email to VG that when connecting to the pipeline network at Stenseth, the first three hydrants opened were empty, and the fourth had low pressure.

“When we opened the fourth hydrant, we found water, but the pressure was low. We therefore used our own pump to boost the water supply,” Grudeland told Dagbladet.

The fire destroyed over 100 homes after breaking out on the afternoon of 17 July. Firefighters from across the Østlandet region assisted in the response.

Grudeland said the dry hydrants did not affect the outcome of the fire. “It’s not an ideal situation, but there’s no reason to believe it influenced the result of the incident.”

Residents reported that hoses connected to the hydrants initially lay flat as the fire spread. Grudeland noted that evacuation efforts ran in parallel with securing water supply, and that tanker trucks were quickly deployed in a shuttle operation to maintain water flow.

Dagbladet has sought comment from Drammen municipality but has not yet received a response.