Cabin fire extinguished with shovel – Telling people to water their roofs – NRK Oslo & Vigen – Local News, Television & Radio

– I saw the whole roof was in a light cap. I firmly believed that I would lose the cabin.

Alf and Aina Skovli from Skui in Bærum went to a room in the Oset Cabin Grounds in Golsfjellet on Thursday afternoon. The plan is to spend the quiet Easter holiday week.

The beginning of the holiday could not have started so dramatically.

– The first thing you do is light the stove, clean it and arrange it. Half an hour later, I picked up the dog and walked around the neighborhood, says Alf Scovley.

It was during the broadcast that he saw the fire burning. Perhaps a spark from the chimney descended on the crumbling dry grass and ignited the ground roof. The wind contributed to the wildfire spreading like wildfire.

The water did not come out with the tap

– What thoughts and feelings did you have when you saw it?

– Yes, this is a good question. I ran as fast as I could and my wife told me. She didn’t notice anything. While I was running, I thought I needed to fix things and move the car. But then you get a little buzzing. We felt it burning in the meadow, on the ground roof.

Scowley tried to fetch water from the tap. But this winter it was in the outhouse and as a result froze. Unusable.

Then I climbed onto the roof with a spade, which was in my hand, and began to extinguish the fire.

He describes it as very hard work. As he was intensely killing the flames with the spade, the wind of his fire made the tongues of fire around him eat more from the roof.

– But I took it off. I was afraid it would start burning on the glasses and water tables. Then it would have been drama. I cut the grass on the roof last fall. If there had been so much time … yes. And then I think it would have been worse, says Scovley.

Tribute to emergency services

Realizing what was happening, his wife Aina Scovley immediately called the fire department, Alf says. Neighbors who saw the fire did the same.

– The neighbor brought his water tap – Of course it was frozen. They did their best to help. We got no twist in this by the hoses. If nothing else, I learned that such snakes should be indoors in the winter, Alf Scowley notes.

He wants to appreciate the emergency services in Hallingdale.

– The fire brigade, police and ambulance were incredibly quick. There was even a tank from the power plant to cut off the electricity. Yes, they are eligible for credit, thanks to the added cottage owner:

– The cabin was built in 2018. Technology is all in the most beautiful order. But I never thought a spark would ignite the roof.

Firefighters praised the cottage owner

Vidar Nerheim is the head of emergency preparedness at the Hollingdal Fire and Rescue Service. He was on duty when the alarm went off Thursday night.

– The cottage owner and the neighbor have put in a lot of effort. They were off before we arrived. Nerheim says we only did the latter hug and did the tests, and he appreciates Scovley’s strong efforts.

Nerheim says the mountains are very dry in many places.

– Do you advise cottage owners to water their floors?

– Yes. Many rooms are close together, and it is very dry and very flammable. It is better to take a bath and follow. This applies to everyone who uses fire pots. Be careful. Now that it is dry, we see this as a great danger.

Warns other cottage owners

It will set fire to thousands of cabins on Easter and in our vast country. Alf Scowley encouraged people to pour water on the roofs of cottages before the fire started a fire on Facebook groups such as “Friends of Golfzellet”.

– Our daughter has a room in the same field, I was there, watering the roof. They will come tonight and light the stove. I have advised the neighbors to do the same. It was dramatically dry – with the wind here now … yes, it only takes a small spark.