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Helicopters dump water as huge Norway fire destroys homes

The blaze has destroyed more than 100 homes in Drammen and has spread to a nearby forest, authorities say.

Published July 18, 2026, 7:13 AM
Updated July 18, 2026, 7:33 AM4.3K
Helicopters dump water as huge Norway fire destroys homes

More than 100 homes have been destroyed by a massive fire burning through Drammen in southern Norway, rescue officials said.

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from the area, around 30 miles west of Oslo. No casualties or missing people have been reported so far.

Dozens of firefighters are working to extinguish the blaze, which has spread to a nearby forest. Local police said the fire was "still not under control".

It was not immediately clear where or how the fire had started, but a Drammen Red Cross worker said it had spread quickly due to the weather.

"It says something about the heat we've had lately. It's been very dry. So once the fire started, it spread quickly. That's what we've seen," Thomas Evjen told Reuters.

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