Fire in Reykjavík Apartment Building this Morning

No one was injured when fire erupted in a four-story apartment building in Vesturberg, the Breiðholt neighborhood of Reykjavík, this morning, mbl.is reports. Residents were stuck inside their apartments, and, according Birgir Finnsson, at the Capital Area Fire Department, they did the right thing, which was to wait for smoke divers to help them out. In the meantime, they were told to go to the balcony.

Smoke divers were able to get them out by putting a bag over their head, into which oxygen is pumped from the fire fighters’ oxygen tanks.

This was a large fire, and property damage is substantial. The whole neighborhood smells of smoke, and much work remains regarding clearing the building of smoke, but the fire has already been put out.

It is reported to have erupted in a storage area on the first floor. Police are investigating the source of the fire.

The Red  Cross has opened an emergency center at Fellaskóli grade school, where residents of the building are receiving care.