A major fire tore through a townhouse in Oslo's Bestum neighborhood on Monday evening. Flames erupted from the basement of the attached home, sending thick black smoke across the area. Firefighters battled the blaze for hours before declaring it extinguished at 10:08 PM.
The basement staircase burned completely, according to fire service reports. Emergency responders warned of open flames visible from one section of the townhouse.
Operations leader Øyvind Hammervold with Oslo police confirmed the visible flames in an official log entry at 8:25 PM. Residents in surrounding homes received instructions to close windows due to heavy smoke conditions.
All occupants evacuated safely from the burning townhouse. Fire crews worked to prevent the flames from spreading to adjacent properties in the tightly-packed residential area.
Townhouse fires present particular challenges in Nordic countries where attached housing is common. The rapid response likely prevented what could have become a much larger disaster in this dense Oslo neighborhood.
Fire investigators will now work to determine what caused the basement blaze in the Bestum community.