Large blaze in Krokstadelva continues as authorities rule out terrorism

Firefighters and civil defence units remain on scene as a major blaze in Krokstadelva, Drammen municipality, continues to burn out of control.

Police, fire and municipal officials said on Saturday afternoon that the fire was still active and smoke was visible at the site. Full containment has not been achieved, and flare-ups remain possible overnight. Civil defence and home guard personnel will maintain a watch over the area for the next 24 hours.

Geir Oustorp, a police spokesman, told a press conference that investigators have already begun tracing the origin of the fire and have received numerous public tips. Authorities said they have a strong indication of where the fire started but cautioned that the blaze spread with extreme speed.

“We have an idea of where it started, but it happened very quickly,” Oustorp said. “It spread extremely fast, as everyone has described. We will bring in people for questioning and speak with residents.”

Police dismissed circulating conspiracy theories, including claims that the fire was an act of terrorism.

More than 100 homes have been destroyed since the blaze broke out shortly after 15:30 on Friday, according to authorities. By 18:30 on Friday, at least 50 homes were affected, and the number had doubled by 21:00. The disaster is the worst recorded in modern times by the Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning (DSB).

Civil protection officials said the fire’s rapid spread was driven by intense radiant heat between tightly packed terraced houses, compounded by dry vegetation and wind. Ari Soilammi, managing director of the Norwegian Fire Protection Association, said such fires are difficult to contain once they jump from one unit to another.

“If many densely packed terraced houses or semi-detached homes are burning, the radiant heat becomes extremely intense and hard to extinguish,” Soilammi said. “With wind, dry grass and bushes nearby, it takes very little for the fire to spread from one row of houses to another.”

Soilammi highlighted design flaws in some Norwegian terraced housing built in the 1960s and 1970s, including inadequate internal fire barriers and combustible exterior cladding, which can allow flames to travel quickly between units.