Massive Fire Breaks Out in Central Oslo Building: Emergency Services Work to Evacuate Residents and Control Flames

Open flames and large clouds of smoke billowed from the roof of a building in central Oslo on Sunday evening.

The case is updated

At 19.44 the Oslo Police District reports that the fire service has the fire under control.

The emergency services have moved out with large resources. The police reported the case at 18.05, and stated that it was probably a fire on a roof terrace in a commercial building in Grensen.

There are no registered residents at the fire address.

– There is heavy smoke and large flames have been observed on the roof of the building. We are on the scene and working to get an overview and get people evacuated from the scene, says operations manager Alexander Østerhaug to VG at 6.10pm on Sunday.

Residents and others in the area are asked to remove the smoke, close windows and turn off ventilation systems.

Work is being done to gain an overview and control of the situation, the police report.

Scroll through the photo gallery to see the fire in central Oslo:

From the roof at the top of the VG building, VG’s reporters have a direct view of the fire scene. At 18.15, there is a full fire on the roof, lots of flames and smoke rising from the place.

At 18.25 a ladder truck arrived at the site.

A little after 18:30, the smoke had changed color from black to white. Firefighters are working to extinguish the fire.

Area blocked off

The cause of the fire is currently unclear. The police have not received information on whether people have been injured.

Work is underway to evacuate people in the building and adjacent buildings. There are no registered residents in the building, the police said at 6.35pm.

Wide barriers will be set up in the area and around the block, the police report. People and vehicles are asked to stay away from the response area of ​​the emergency services.

Many spectators have gathered in the nearby streets. At 18.37, four fire constables are on the roof, while a drone is circling in the air. Four ladder trucks are on site and extinguishing from each side. Sirens are heard in the center of Oslo.

The fire brigade: – Still unclear

– The situation is still unclear. The roof of the building is on fire, says duty commander Lars Lindal at Oslo 110 central to VG at 18.43.

– We have two ladder trucks working to extinguish the fire from above. We have a lot of resources on site, both effort and in the immediate vicinity.

The fire service receives assistance from neighboring municipalities in maintaining preparedness elsewhere in the city of Oslo.

Duty commander Lindal tells VG that the fire service receives many calls about the fire:

– We are clear that there is a fire in this building. If the public is assured that it is the same fire they want to report, they do not need to call in about this particular one, he tells VG.

The flames are in the process of being knocked down, the Oslo police report at 18.51.

Evacuating from two buildings

– The fire brigade is starting to gain control. The flames have largely been extinguished. We assume that they will be under control within a short time, says operations manager Alexander Østerhaug in the Oslo police district to VG at 19.01.

– Evacuation is still underway, both from the building itself where the fire is and a neighboring building where there is a hotel.

The police do not have an overview of how many people have been evacuated so far.

– It will probably take some time before we have control over everyone who has been in the building and the neighboring building, says operations manager Østerhaug.

The fire service will remain on the scene going forward, reports Oslo 110 central at 19.09. The fire is partially under control.