Just minutes after the road guard in Mesta, Arne Oddvar Nilsen, had 20 cars evacuated from a dangerous area, the avalanche came thundering down the mountainside.
– I get a little shaky just to be back here. It went well when we had to clear the road after the avalanche, but when I see the large ice edge, it’s not pleasant, says Arne Oddvar Nilsen (52).
LANDSLIDE: On the municipal border between Bodø and Fauske there was a large landslide on 25 January. Large piles of snow are still at the site between the highway and the railway. Photo: Robin Jensen / TV 2
Acted lightning fast
On 25 January early in the morning, he was called out to National Highway 80 between Bodø and Fauske. There had been a minor mudslide.
The stretch is one of the busiest in the whole of northern Norway and is the main road in and out of the county capital Bodø.
Four thousand cars pass a day and many are commuters.
When Nilsen arrived, he saw that there were several motorists trying to get through the landslide. A small queue had gathered with cars that were impatient and wanted to move on.
CLEAN-UP: National highway 80 between Bodø and Fauske was closed for several days for fear of more landslides. Here, the road is being cleared of slush and snow. Photo: Arne Oddvar Nilsen
Nilsen quickly realized that the area was dangerous and acted lightning fast.
– We had to explain to people that it was simply dangerous to be there, he says.
Nilsen immediately begins to evacuate cars and trailers away from the landslide area.
– In total, I will probably turn around 20 cars. Among other things, there was one truck train that had to back out and get to safety, explains Nilsen.
NEW BAILINGS: 60 meters of the old railings were torn up and thrown into the sea. The area is now being secured again after the landslide. Photo: Roy-Arne Salater/ Reporter
Large amounts of rain had fallen in recent days, and there was still large amounts of snow in the mountains.
Shortly after the road is closed and cleared of cars, a new and large landslide sweeps over both the road and the nearby railway.
Avoided a disaster
60 meters of guardrails are torn up and thrown into the sea.
– From the time we had secured the area until the avalanche came, about 15 minutes passed, Nilsen explains.
The landslide was several meters high and over 50 meters wide. Fortunately, Nilsen was able to close the road in time.
– What could have happened if the cars were still there?
CONSIDERED: It is only two years ago that Arne Oddvar Nilsen lost a good colleague in a mudslide in exactly the same place. Photo: Robin Jensen / TV 2
– Then I think we would have been exposed to a fatal accident with several people involved. The potential was great. There were great forces at work. Heavy masses came down, so it would have been dangerous, says Nilsen.
It is only two years since he lost a good colleague in the exact same place.
At that time there had also been a slush avalanche. Landslide number two occurred while an employee from Mesta was on an inspection. He was crushed under the car and died from his injuries.
There are many friends and colleagues of the deceased who are still affected by the incident.
FATAL ACCIDENT: In February 2021, an employee in Mesta died after a car overturned as a result of a slush avalanche. Photo: 330 Squadron Bodø
– That is why you are perhaps a little shaky when you stand here today and know the potential of what a landslide can lead to. It is very tragic for us who lost a colleague at the time. At the same time, there are children who have lost their father, and wives who have lost their husbands, says Nilsen.
– Our everyday heroes
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration is convinced that the quick-witted efforts of Arne Oddvar Nilsen saved many lives on this January day.
LARGE LANDSLIDE: There were both cars and lorries on this road shortly before the 50-metre-wide and several-metre-high landslide closed both the road and the railway. Photo: Norwegian Road Administration
– They are out every single day and are our everyday heroes. All credit to Mesta as a contractor who showed vigor and professionalism during this incident. This could have had dramatic consequences, says Tore Lysberg, department director for operation and maintenance in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.
– You tremble when you hear about such stories. We are incredibly relieved that it went well. At the same time, there are many colleagues who still have the fatal accident in February 2021 close to their hearts, says Lysberg.
In recent years, there have been several landslides between Bodø and Fauske.
LARGE AVALANCHE: From this mountain the avalanche swept over the road and railway. A short time before, there were about 20 cars in the same place. Photo: Roy-Arne Salater/ TV 2
– There is a great potential for fatal accidents here if nothing is done about the stretch. I also think about the consequence this would have had if this had happened later in the day. Then the traffic is denser, and the local trains whiz by just a few meters below the road, says Nilsen.
Russian roulette
The large mudslide is probably the largest that has occurred on this stretch. Rain and storms meant that geologists could not enter the area immediately.
The main connection between Bodø and Fauske was therefore only opened after a few days.
– It is better to close the roads once too much than too little when the situation is unclear and unsafe, says Lysberg.
After the incident, geologists and employees of Mesta have been on a course in avalanche management.
What the “road hero” himself is most surprised by are all the motorists who do not respect the forces of nature and that roads must be closed.
– I don’t think they understand how dangerous it is to do things like forcing a landslide or a closed road. It’s like playing Russian rolled with your own life when you do things like this, says Nilsen.
