Published 2024-05-07 03.30
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A fire broke out during the night towards Tuesday in an apartment building in Östersund.
Five people had to be taken to hospital by ambulance and two of them have died.
– It is a man and a woman in their 70s, says Elin Andersson at the police.
- A fire broke out in an apartment building in Östersund and five people were taken to hospital, two of whom, a man and a woman in their 70s, died.
- The fire forced residents in tens of apartments to evacuate, which led to an Important Notice to the Public (VMA) being sent out.
- For the rest of the day, fire personnel will be on site to ensure that there is no risk of spread in the building.
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The emergency services were alerted at 01:24.
– A fire started in an apartment. That fire is out, but it has also spread to the roof. You can see from a distance that it is on fire and we continue to receive alarms from people in the direction of the wind, said Thomas Hansson, officer on duty at the rescue service.
About 20 firefighters worked on extinguishing during the night. For the first few hours, they tried to put out the fire on the roof, but just before 04:00, the rescue leader changed tactics.
– The roof and the attic will not be saved. Therefore, we let that part burn down in a controlled manner. There is a concrete floor that protects the apartments below, and it is also about an overall assessment of how much water damage there may be if we continue to extinguish, said Thomas Hansson.
Sent out VMA
The new strategy also meant that the emergency manager sent out a VMA, important message to the public, to close doors, windows and ventilation.
– The tactics we have chosen make the smoke development even stronger. We sent out a VMA to get the information out. Fire smoke is always toxic, but there is nothing particularly dangerous about this smoke, said Thomas Hansson.
At 06.30 the VMA was lifted after the fire calmed down. A little over an hour later, it was mostly embers and smoke from the roof.
– We will remain with resources throughout the morning to check that there is no spread in the building, says Thomas Hansson.
The fire started in an apartment in an apartment building. Photo: Reader picture
Two dead
Five people had to be taken to hospital by ambulance after the fire. In addition, residents of around ten apartments have been evacuated to a nearby premises.
At 07:30 the police announced that two people had died.
– It is a man and a woman in their 70s, says police spokesperson Elin Andersson.
The other three were treated for smoke inhalation. It concerns a 35-year-old woman and two minor children.
