" Fire!"

 At 22:56 (10:56 PM) on January 18 ,2014, local fire departments were alerted to a residential fire in a historic Norwegian settlement.   A fire fanned by strong winds swept through the village of Lærdalsøyri in Western Norway through the early hours of Sunday morning threatening many of the  historic frame houses in the heritage area.

The wind-borne fire quickly spread  fanning the flames towards the town center, and by 4 a.m over thirty houses were reported to be in flames. The fire then spread to a nearby forest, threatening the heritage area. The town was evacuated 30 minutes after midnight, with residents being evacuated to a hotel in Aurland, Norway.
 

More then 100 firefighters, from eight to ten neighboring fire departments were involved in putting out the fire.  Firefighters and equipment from Haukåsen airport in Sogndal were called out to assist in putting out the fire.The fire in Laerdalsoyri was aided by strong winds, and burned through homes that were built of wood  in the 18th and 19th centuries. It wasn't clear what caused the fire, but when it was over, at least 177 people were treated in nearby hospitals for fire-related injuries.

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When winter  cold causes temperatures to drop, heat sources become very important in the long winter nights. Structures of wood arranged in close proximity to one another become a danger zone. Fires spread rapidly with winter winds carrying burning ash to the neighboring buildings. Norway has experienced several disastrous fires. Historic stav churches made of wood have been tragic examples.

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The Grue Church Fire happened in Grue, Norway  in the Southeastern Hedmark county of Norway.

A typical Stavkirk

  This fire occurred on 26 May 1822, taking the lives of between 113 and 117 churchgoers .The oldest section of the church stemmed from the 13th century and was built using the stave method.Due to this construction style, entrance doors were designed to swing inwards and leaded glass windows that were placed high up on the wall were covered by an outside iron grid . The exterior of this church was covered with pine tar. Later calculations  estimated that 17 tons of tar had been applied between 1600 and 1822.On Pentecost, the church was filled to capacity on a bright and hot Sunday early in the summer. In the middle of the sermon, a fire broke out on the outer wall and soon the fire broke in. Within 10 to15 minutes the church was completely engulfed in flames. Parishioners rushing to the doors caused the inward-opening doors to close and few were able to exit the burning building. The cause of the fire might have been that of a spark from a fire container in which a church servant brought embers from the neighboring farm to light the altar candles .The wooden stav chuch soon burned to the ground.

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.Another historically disastrous fire occurred in Alesund, Norway  on January 23, 1904. This fire destroyed 850 homes, leaving 10,000 people homeless while destroying most of the city. That  fire was reported to be caused by a cow that kicked over a torch.

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This  latest fire in Laerdalsoyri was fanned by strong winds, and burned through

homes that were built of wood  in the 18th and 19th centuries. Police cordoned off an area in Lærdalsøyri because of the fear of  explosions of nearby gas cylinders belonging to a construction company. It wasn't clear what caused the fire, but at least 90 people were treated in nearby hospitals for fire-related injuries

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 Lærdal is on the UNESCO world heritage list. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations. Its purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through education, science, and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedom. Buildings constructed in the 18th century are being preserved and protected. Dolyce Johnson, one of our Vennskap members  was concerned due to her family connection to the famous village. Dolyce stated:“A story  mentioned damage

Typical Norse colors

to the community center, which, I believe, we visited to research our family’s geneaology records.  My maternal grandmother’s family (Prestegard) came from Laerdal, and my children and I visited the village in 2004.  It was quite unique.  Any changes inside or outside had to be approved and the outside colors had to be what the original colors were.  We took the ferry from there down the Sognefjord.  A tragedy, but fortunately no one died in the fire”.

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Smouldering remains

Sixteen private homes have burned to the ground, in addition to industrial buildings and infrastructure. Many other buildings are also damaged. A large number of families have lost all their possessions, and many are quartered in a nearby hotel for the time being. Several people were  treated in hospital for smoke inhalation, but there are no reports of serious injuries or fatalities.
The village Telecom center has been completely destroyed, however, an emergency mobile service has been established. Electricity is also back on in sections of the township, but schools and kindergartens remained closed Monday.

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As  residents struggle to  rebuild, and winter life resumes, tourists will continue to visit the historic village.The Old Lærdalsøyri village has 161 protected buildings.  The famous Filefjell Kongevegen road passes through Lærdal on its way to Valdres and later extended to Oslo.The Lærdalstunnelen was built through the 

mountains

The Lærdal River

dividing Aurland from Lærdal. This 15.2 mile tunnel is the worlds longest (as of 2008), construction began in 1995 and was completed in 2000.

The River Lærdalselvi was traditionally one of the most exclusive

salmon and sea trout rivers in Norway. Known by the Norwegian King Harald V as “his second Queen”, the river has established Lærdal as one of the meccas of salmon and sea trout fly fishing.

Meanwhile, the cleanup continues.