At 14.32, the police report that firefighters have more control over the situation. There are three buildings burning. These hang together. The wind has calmed down and the firefighting work is in full swing. There is a detour and routing of traffic past the E16.
The fire service was notified of the fire in a barn near Tønjum in Lærdal at 13.35. On Twitter, 110 Vest reported that there was a strong fire and that there was a strong wind.
Shortly afterwards, the fire brigade reported that the fire had spread to two other buildings.
POWERFUL FIRE: Strong winds make firefighting challenging.
Photo: Jan Christian Jerving
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Clustering in the lighthouse
It is burning in a cluster yard with several buildings. None of them happen to build houses for animals or humans.
The 110 exchange has called out crews from Lærdal, Aurland and Årdal.
There is strong wind in the area. Several farmers are on their way to the fire town with slurry trucks full of water.
A neighbor NRK spoke to did not have time to say more than that he had to fill the tractor with hoses.
The area that is burning is a bit east of the mouth of the Lærdal tunnel.
E16 closed – long detour
E16 will be closed to traffic as a result of the fire, the police report. There are no local detours. For through traffic, Vegtrafikksentralen asks the traveling queue via Fv 53 Fodnes – Årdal – Tyin.
There is also a detour via Fv .. 271 and Fv. 272.
It is a long and time consuming detour.
Brannstaden is located several kilometers from the listed wooden residence on Lærdalsøyri, which caught fire in 2014.
There are several older buildings in the area that are dense. One of the buildings in the area belongs to the artist Hans Gjesme.
The wind created a problem
At 15.00, Morten Frantzen in the Alarm Center says that the danger of spreading is no longer imminent.
– Firefighters say they are just beginning to gain control, says Frantzen.
It is a large building that is divided into three parts, which is on fire. It’s totally damaged. There are six buildings in the area, but there is no danger of the fire spreading to the next farm again.
– Do they know what the cause of the fire is?
– We have received some hints, but we can not comment on that, says Frantzen and refers to the police.
A total of eleven vehicles from the fire stations in Lærdal, Aurland and Årdal helped in the fire. Two farmers lined up with slurry trucks, but these are still waiting.
The wind created the biggest challenges for the fire crew.
– It made the fire spread as much as it did before we arrived.
From the alarm went off until the first fire truck was in place, it took 12 minutes, according to Frantzen.
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