Per Kristian Grette (34) and his friend Andreas Moflag (37) had a day out of the ordinary at sea in the Oslo Fjord – when the friends witnessed the development of smoke from a jetty near Gråøya in Asker.
40 minutes
As the couple approached the black smoke, they understood the seriousness. A boat was in full fire – a short distance from other boats at the pier.
– We see that it is a small rubber boat trying to pull the boat out of the harbor, but since it blew a lot that day, it was not easy to pull the boat out, Grette says to Dagbladet.
EXPERIENCED: Per Kristian Grette has been driving a jet ski actively since 2013. Photo: Private
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The 34-year-old and his friend throw themselves around, and use the power from the jet ski to transport the boat away from the other boats.
– When we got the boat out of the harbor, we pulled it out to the fjord. The fire brigade told us that they did not arrive until half an hour later, he says.
– It took at least 40 minutes from the time we were there until the fire brigade arrived, so it took some time. We had to try to put it out, and then we used the jet skis. We managed to keep the flames down quite well and get the boat out of the harbor.
Could have spread
FULL FOR: The boat was in full fire when it was transported out into the Oslo Fjord. Photo: Private
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A video from the place, taken from the police helicopter, shows that Grette extinguished the flames with the jet ski, while her friend Moflag led the boat around to keep the smoke away from Grette who sprayed water on the boat.
The couple managed to keep the fire under control until the fire brigade arrived, so that the boat did not sink.
– What do you think would have happened if you had not started putting out the flames?
– Then there would probably have been three or four boats that had also joined, if not the entire pier. When fiberglass burns, you see how much and how fast it burns. It did not take long before it was overheated, and it could have spread quickly.
Grette, who has been driving a jet ski actively since 2013, says that he was not scared at all.
Shelves
Now comes the heat wave!
On the Oslo Police District’s Facebook page on Wednesday, they thank the couple for their efforts, who pulled the boat out of the harbor and started extinguishing “a fire that could have been potentially much larger”.
– Police helicopter movie from the Oslo Fjord a few days ago, shows that every single effort can help save lives, it is stated on the police’s Facebook page.
– How does it feel to be praised by the police?
– It feels very good. We got a lot of praise from the police when we were there, and they actually came pretty quickly. It was very nice that they bragged about us.
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