Thor Selmer Hansen is the founder behind the company Thors, which produces soups, stews, drinks, cold cuts and marinated onions at Toten.
On Boxing Day, he saw his work in flames when a heavy fire broke out in his factory premises at Lena in Østre Toten municipality.
– It was absolutely terrible. The flames rose up everywhere, says Hansen to TV 2 about the sight he encountered.
FULL FIRE: There were large flames rising from the building. Photo: The police
– Goes in the wash
Hansen rents the premises at Lena, and was called by the owner on Boxing Day. He had seen flames from the building.
– I threw myself in the car. There was a full fire down there and full of fire brigade, says Hansen.
He refers to it as a nightmare, but is happy that there were no people in the premises when they caught fire.
– So you have to get your act together and think ahead, but I have lost my production equipment, he says.
Recently, Hansen had received good news that the company’s plant-based soups had gained entry into 120 new stores. In addition, he was scheduled to deliver ten tonnes of soft-fried onions in the near future.
– It goes down the drain, says the entrepreneur who has run the company on Lena since 2011.
CONTROL: The fire brigade eventually gained control of the fire. They initially prioritized limiting the risk of spread. Photo: Olav T. Hustad Wold/TV 2
Great resources
Hansen says that the company has five or six employees, and that it is too early to determine how the fire will affect further operations.
– Now it is the fire service that is responsible tonight, until they are sure that there is no danger at the site. Then farm owners take over, I also have a meeting with farm owners after that, says Hansen.
Resources from both Vestre Toten and Gjøvik fire services were called in, in addition to Østre Toten, to assist in getting the fire under control.
Just before 6 p.m., the fire service told TV 2 that they were starting to get the danger of spreading under control.
– It is an old wooden building that is on fire. It is located in a relatively large complex with various buildings, said supervisor Erik Johansen.
At 10 p.m. the fire is under control, but extinguishing is still ongoing.
