Fire Destroys Historic Wooden Building in Levanger City Center

A listed building burned down in the center of Levanger.

The police in Trøndelag report a fire in an apartment building in the center of Levanger. All emergency units rushed to the scene.

– It is a complete over-ignition, operations manager Else Stokkebø in Trøndelag told VG earlier on Tuesday night.

It was unknown for a long time whether everyone had been accounted for, but in an update shortly after 0330 the police wrote that all residents had been accounted for.

– Just under 30 people have been evacuated to another location for the night. None of them have been injured.

Many are homeless after the fire, writes NTB.

– It is a tragic incident that has affected the wooden town. We are now primarily happy that everyone has been accounted for. The crisis team is ready to help those who have been affected by the fire, says municipal director Peter Ardon in Levanger municipality in a press release.

Spread out

Residents in the center of Levanger are asked to keep windows closed to prevent smoke from entering houses and apartments.

The fire spread to one other building in the quarter, says Stokkebø.

– Smoke divers have been inside some apartments, and are still working at full capacity. The main priority is to prevent further spread.

The building that burned was part of the protected historic wooden house environment in Levanger, writes NTB. The area is well preserved and is considered a wooden house environment of national value.

– It is an example of an urban wooden house environment as it appeared at the beginning of the 20th century, and it is well preserved, said the then climate and environment minister Ola Elvestuen (V) when the area was protected in 2018.

The wooden houses in Levanger were built between 1896 and 1904, when compulsory masonry was introduced as a result of the town fire in Ålesund in January of the same year.