A multi-family house in Åkersberga, Österåker, has been hit by an intense fire on the roof. Emergency services evacuated the building and are working to protect the apartments below, while the risk of spread to nearby houses is high. No injuries have been reported.
The fire broke out on the roof of a five-story multi-family house in Åkersberga, Österåker municipality, just before 11 p.m. on Sunday evening. The alarm came in around 23:00, and emergency services describe the fire as fully developed.
Tommy Wållberg from the emergency services states: "We have a fire on the roof in a multi-family house. It's a five-story building." He adds that it is not possible to extinguish the roof fire, and the goal is to protect the apartments below. "We won't be able to extinguish the roof fire; our goal is to protect the apartments downward in the house."
Evacuation began immediately on the upper floors, and with police assistance, the entire property was cleared. "We started the operation by evacuating everyone on the upper floor. Then we got help from the police to evacuate the rest of the property, so I think all people are evacuated," says Wållberg. Several ambulances were sent to the scene, but no injuries have been reported.
The operation is extensive with eight fire stations on site, and it is expected to last many hours. There is a high risk of spread to adjacent buildings due to sparks. "There is intense spark rain landing on the roofs of adjacent properties, so the risk of spread is high," warns Wållberg.
Mathias Häglund, duty officer at the emergency services, confirms: "The goal right now is to limit the spread downward in the building; the roof will have to burn off." Just after midnight, no one had been taken to hospital according to SOS Alarm.
