It is burning in the old fire station in Kirkegata in Haugesund. Around 20 people have been evacuated from the neighboring buildings.
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It was Haugesunds Avis who first reported the incident.
Crews from Haugesund and Vormedal station have moved out to the site. The 110 exchange was notified of the fire at 20.55 on Friday night.
There is a lot of activity on site, says the 110 switchboard to the newspaper, which does not yet have an overview of the scope.
– Completely overheated
Christer Glerud (54) spends the night at Scandic Hotell, which is across the street. He says he first smelled smoke from his open window on the fifth floor. When he looked out, he discovered the fire and called 112.
– The building is completely overheated. The only thing that has not burned up are the garages downstairs. It is a lift with the fire brigade that extinguishes the fire from above, and it is extinguished with three fire hoses from the ground, he describes.
See photos from the fire in the gallery below.
1 of 7Photo: Jan Kåre Ness / NTB
He says the fire has generated a lot of black smoke.
– There is smoke over large parts of the city, but it is quite windless, so it is probably not a nuisance for many, Glerud thinks.
Asked to stay away from downtown
The police write on Twitter that they were notified that some young people were drinking and making noise at the old fire station. A patrol was then dispatched and discovered fire on the spot.
– The young people who were observed have evaporated.
The fire brigade asks the public to stay away from Haugesund center, due to a lot of smoke in the area.
– Close windows and doors, they write on Twitter.
At 21.43, the police write that the fire is developing and has reached the roof, and that there is a danger of the building spreading next door.
The fire brigade, which is on site with all available crew, reports a little over 10 pm that the building will burn down.
20 minutes later, around 20 people have been evacuated, and the danger of spreading to the neighboring building is considered small, the police write on Twitter.
They are working in parallel with the investigation, they write.
VG updates the case.
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