Fire in Reykjavik basement sends two to emergency department

Two people were taken to Landspítali’s emergency department on suspicion of smoke inhalation after a fire broke out in the basement of a building at Laugavegur 16 in Reykjavik overnight, mbl.is reported. The building houses Hotel Center and the Andrá clothing store.

All available fire service units in the capital area were called out at 12.30am. The firefighting operation ended at 4am.

Guðmundur Hreinsson, a fire service supervisor, said it was initially difficult to locate the fire. When the first vehicles arrived, smoke was coming from windows on the side of the building, making it hard to assess the situation.

Four teams of firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the building. The fire was eventually found in the basement, from where smoke had spread through the building’s stairwell.

The building was evacuated, and firefighters rescued two people who were taken to the emergency department because of suspected smoke inhalation.

It took about two hours to extinguish the fire. Firefighters then ventilated the building and checked that no embers remained.