Flames were spouting out of an apartment in the congested Majorstuen area Tuesday afternoon, prompting the evacuation of 10 residents. Three of them were sent to hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation, all of them women aged 40 to 50.
The fire, and the massive emergency response it attracted, blocked off the busy east-west boulevard that runs through Majorstuen, Kirkeveien. The fire broke out shortly before 2pm in a building not far from the busy intersection at Bogstadveien, and spread to the apartment above it as well.
It was extinguished but the building has been subjected to major smoke and water damage, reported state broadcaster NRK. One neighbor reported hearing “a small explosion” in the apartment where the fire began, but didn’t know what was behind it.
Several residents were evacuated from their balconies by hook and ladder trucks. No one was believed to be at home in the apartment where the fire originated and an investigation into its cause was underway.
The fire disrupted both tram and bus lines that use both Kirkeveien and Bogstadveien. Transit service eventually resumed, but passengers were told to expect delays throughout the afternoon.
newsinenglish.no staff
