The fire department said that the fire is currently out of control and there is a risk of the fire spreading. Heavy smoke billows from the scene of the fire.
The building, which has now caught fire, houses many workplaces. No one should have been in the building when the fire broke out.
The head of operations of the Finnmark police district, Jørgen Haagland Hansen, says that so far there does not appear to be any danger to life or health.
– Police are on site to check nearby buildings for occupants and evacuations, says Haagland Hansen.
Police have asked people to stay away from the fire. The safety zone has been reduced from 300 meters to 100 meters.
Burns strongly in Vatso. Photo: Robert Lundgren.
Big flames
Robert Lundgren, who lives in Watzow, watches the fire from his living room window.
– It burns fiercely, says Lundgren.
– There are now more than 20 meter high flames coming out of this building.
Lundgren said there was a lot of black smoke over the fjord.
– The fire service is cleaning up the water to get it under control, but it doesn’t look like they have it yet, Lundgren says.
Robert Lundgren, watching the fire from his living room window, says it looks like flames are up to 20 meters high.
Photo: Roger Mandal
Lundrgren says the industrial building was formerly a fish salon and now houses painting shops, construction shops and various warehouses.
– In the center there is a large industrial building, with chaotic contents, where a lot of motorhomes are stored during the winter, fortunately not so now. But it’s hard to know what’s in the building. Are there gas cylinders? Painting equipment? There are many flammable chemicals. So you struggle enough to get an overview of what can burn there, says Robert Lundgren.
Extinguishing work from all sides
The police said that they are currently working on extinguishing the fire from all sides.
– The Coast Guard is turning off in full force, and turning off from all sides they can turn off. The Coast Guard is present in the harbor and off the sea side. And the lifeboat comes from Vardo and will contribute to the rescue from the sea area, says Jørgen Haagland Hansen, Operations Manager of the Finnmark Police District.
A fire near the port in Vatso on Monday morning.
Photo: Robert Lundgren / Private
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