Police technicians were finally able to confirm on Wednesday that a family of four perished in a raging fire that swept through their wooden house in Berger, south of Drammen, late Sunday night. The tragedy has stunned the small coastal community and the local fire department, where the father in the house was a constable.
The victims were identified as Helge Høvik, age 43, his wife Camilla Førde, age 42, and their two children Isabell Førde Høvik, age 12, and Trym Førde Høvik, age 10. Førde worked as a hair dresser at a salon in Drammen, while both children were enrolled at the local Tømmerås School.
Fire fighters, several of whom were colleagues of Helge Høvik, described the fire as “powerful.” The entire house was already engulfed in flames by the time crews arrived at the scene after alarms sounded in the middle of the night. “We realized right away it wouldn’t be possible to save any lives in the house,” Fire Chief Torgeir Andersen told state broadcaster NRK on Monday.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.
newsinenglish.no staff
