Police and emergency services were alerted at 01:25 on Tuesday night about a fire in an apartment in Östersund. The fire has since spread in the building.
– It is a fully developed fire and all residents in the building have had to be evacuated, says Roger Söderlund, RLC commander at the police.
Two people have died
About 20 people had to be taken to a neighborhood bar nearby, five people had to be taken to hospital.
– Two of them, a man and a woman in their 70s, have died from their injuries. Press spokesperson at RLC in Umeå, Elin Andersson, confirms this to SVT Jämtland.
A 35-year-old woman and two minor children are being treated after inhaling smoke.
Officer on duty: The roof may burn off
Early on Tuesday morning, the fire service stated that the fire was still not under control.
– The tactic is to let the roof structure burn and prevent the fire from spreading down to the apartments and the rest of the house below. This is possible because it is a concrete structure that protects the underlying apartments, says Thomas Hansson, on-duty commander of Rescue Region MittNorrland to SVT.
This is what the fire looked like from the air when the emergency services flew with drones. Photo: Rescue service Jämtland
VMA was issued
A VMA, an important message to the public, was sent out in Östersund due to the development of smoke. But it was lifted early Tuesday morning when the danger to the public was deemed mild.
The police: Not looking for a perpetrator
The police have drawn up a report regarding gross public negligence and gross causing the death of another, but state that they are currently not looking for any perpetrators.
– We will block off the property when the emergency services have finished their work so that our forensics can look at it. From what we know now, we do not suspect that the fire is arson.
What caused the fire is still unknown. Relatives have been notified.
