A heather fire broke out in Roan in Åfjord municipality in Trøndelag on Saturday afternoon.
Newspaper address writes that an eyewitness discovered the fire at 3.30 pm. Firefighters estimate that an area of one to two meters is burning.
Much wind
Shortly after 18:00, Frode Lyngvær from Fosen fire and rescue tells TV 2 that the situation is very unclear.
15-20 homes were evacuated due to the fire. These are now being transported to an evacuation center which the municipality has set up.
– So let’s hope at least that the fire doesn’t get that far, Åfjord municipality councilor Per Johansen tells NTB.
At 19.10 Lyngvær informs TV 2 that they are starting to get an overview of the scope.
– We have established ourselves and believe that we are able to prevent the fire from spreading in buildings, he says.
Lyngvær points out that there is still a lot of wind in the area and that the working conditions are therefore challenging.
– There’s still a nice fire on the mountainside.
Approaching settlement
According to the fire brigade, there is only 50-100 meters between the fire and the houses.
Operations director Anne Birgitte Arras of the Trøndelag police said in the afternoon that the fire had the potential to spread to a wider area.
– So far we have not received any reports that there has been a fire in any building, Arras told TV 2 just before 6.30pm.
The firefighters asked for the intervention of the Civil Protection.
– We have teams from both Roan and Åfjord working, as well as Civil Defense. Ambulance and Red Cross also assist, says Lyngvær in Fosen fire and rescue.
Evacuated
One of those who had to leave his home is Steinar Kristian Eian. He says there’s a lot of fire, but right now he’s not too worried about the house.
– So far there is no direct danger, but it can happen suddenly if the flames sneak past them, Eian tells TV 2.
He estimates the flames are about 900 meters from his home, but says a mountainous area with little vegetation separates the flames from the house.
Eian is evacuated from the house, but can still see the fire. He tells of big fires in a dozen different places, with small fires in between.
– There’s a lot of fire up there right now, but the firefighters and volunteers are spraying water. They probably aren’t in control, because it’s windy, he says.
Torill Lindbak’s house has also been evacuated, but she is in Trondheim.
– We are afraid of what we have of values that could be lost. We’re watching and we’re excited, Lindbak tells TV 2.
He says he’s lived in the same place for 40 years, but it’s never burned down like it does now.
