Norway split in half as fire closes key tunnel, forcing home care services to travel by boat

A bus fire in the Raudhammartunnel on Norway’s E6 highway has cut the country in two, with the closure expected to last several days, Dagbladet reports. The tunnel, the only road link connecting northern Norway, has left communities scrambling for alternatives—including transporting home care workers and medical supplies by boat.

The fire broke out early Friday in the Raudhammartunnel in Sørfold, Nordland, blocking the sole road artery between northern and southern Norway. Statens vegvesen (the Norwegian Public Roads Administration) confirmed the tunnel will remain closed for an extended period, forcing detours of up to 15 hours via Sweden or ferry routes through Lofoten.

A 20-minute drive through the tunnel has now become a 1,074-kilometre journey, according to Google Maps. The closure disrupts not only travel plans but critical services: ambulances, home care, and goods transport all rely on the E6. Britt Kristoffersen Løksa, mayor of neighbouring Hamarøy, warned of broader consequences. “All goods and supplies travel this route. It affects the entire region,” she told Dagbladet. Residents in her municipality, who depend on Nordlandssykehuset hospital in Bodø—now cut off—face particular challenges. “Fortunately, patients can still be flown out,” she added.

Hospitals and emergency services adapt

Nordlandssykehuset hospital is coordinating with other regional health providers, including Universitetssykehuset in Nord-Norge, to maintain emergency readiness. “We have ambulance resources on both sides of the closure and are securing long-term acute care,” said Arne Johansen, head of the prehospital clinic. Air ambulances remain on standby, with priority given to medical transport on alternative routes like ferries.

In Sørfold, where the tunnel divides the municipality, officials are using boats to deliver home care supplies and personnel. “We have our own emergency vessel and an agreement with local aquaculture to transport staff and medicines across the fjord,” said Mayor Kolbjørn Mathisen.

The fire, described by traffic authorities as occurring in the “worst possible location,” has no estimated reopening timeline. Statens vegvesen has not yet provided details on structural damage or repair plans.