Restaurant Festningen in Oslo was completely damaged after a fire broke out on Saturday evening. By Sunday morning, the fire had been extinguished.
– The fire service has moved into the post-extinguishing phase, confirms duty commander Robert Gudmundsen of Oslo’s Fire and Rescue Service to NTB.
According to Gudmundsen, the building is completely damaged. The fire service is on the scene with three vehicles, but must have control of the area.
– As a golden rule, we have a post-extinguishing phase of six hours, but of course it can be longer. The fire can flare up again, so the fire brigade will remain on the scene until the burnt building has cooled down.
– Important cultural heritage
– This is terribly sad. First of all, we are happy that it seems to have gone well with employees and guests. Secondly, we are saddened by what looks like significant damage to an important cultural monument, says director Thorbjørn Thoresen in Forsvarsbygg in a press release.
OVERIGNITION: The fire broke out at 7pm on Saturday evening. Photo: Ole Thomas Halvorsen / TV 2
Defense Construction will look at what is required if it is to be possible to put the building back into use. At the same time, they will also try to take care of the listed facades.
– Akershus fortress is the heart of Oslo and an important part of our shared history. The fortress restaurant has been newly restored and is in daily use, he says.
The ventilation system
The first report about the fire came at 7pm on Saturday. It later became known that the building houses the Festningen restaurant. Open flames quickly came out of the window of the building, which belongs to the Akershus fortress complex. Shortly afterwards, the entire building was engulfed in flames.
– The fire is probably linked to the ventilation system, the police in Oslo tweeted, before they established that there was a full fire in the cladding. The fire then spread to the roof structure.
The roof of the restaurant was on fire. Photo: Ole Thomas Halvorsen / TV 2
Cultural memory
It is too early to say anything about how much has been lost in the building from 1836, according to section manager in the section for conservation and conservation plans, Sigrid Murud. The building was originally a prison.
– The most important thing is that people were evacuated first. Fires are one of the most serious things that can affect a cultural monument and it has major consequences, she tells NTB.
– The whole area around Akershus fortress is full of important national treasures, so it was an unpleasant feeling. We were relieved when we heard that there was little risk of spread. It stands a bit by itself, hence the name “The lonely prison”.
Home Front Museum not affected
The Kruttlageret and Hjemmefrontmuseet buildings inside Akershus Fortress are nearby buildings to the Fortress restaurant. Forsvarsbygg’s inspections and follow-up show that these have not been affected by either the fire or smoke.
The fortress is open to the public as usual, but the area around the Home Front Museum and Akershus Castle is closed for security reasons.
