Nearly a full day after fire broke out on the roof of an office and retail building in downtown Oslo, emergency crews were still struggling to maintain control. The fire has kept flaring up, and the area remained closed off Monday afternoon.
The fire in the classic old building at the corner of Grensen and Akersgata first broke out Sunday evening. Firefighters thought they had control around midnight, only to lose it again during the night.
The area is usually busy at all hours of the day and night, located close to the old government complex, newspaper offices in Akersgata, the Parliament and a tram line running down Grensen. That’s been forced out of service until the area can be cleared and secured.
Officials at the scene said it started as a roof fire but spread throughout the building. There was grave danger Monday afternoon that the building’s interior could collapse.
The fire also forced closure of the metro line’s main station at Stortinget, further disrupting public transport through Oslo.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
