Water outlet issues hampered firefighters during massive Drammen blaze

During a massive fire that ravaged 113 homes in Krokstadelva, Drammen, Norway, the nation's largest in over a century, firefighters encountered significant difficulties accessing water from six different outlets. The challenges with the water supply system became a focal point following the blaze.

Initially, the fire department offered an explanation involving dry fire hydrants, which was later revised. In a joint statement, Drammen municipality and the Drammensregionen fire department addressed questions about the water supply, detailing technical issues at six water outlets: five underground fire hydrants and one above-ground fire hydrant.

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The problems in the initial phase of connecting to the water supply were due to technical conditions at six water outlets (five underground fire hydrants and one above-ground fire hydrant).

According to the statement, limited physical space within some underground hydrants made it difficult for the fire department to connect their equipment. One outlet, marked as a fire hydrant on the municipality's digital maps, was actually a standard water manhole. Additionally, some hydrant covers were overgrown and required excavation and cleaning before use. One fire hydrant lacked the necessary connection point, and another had only a single outlet, restricting water flow.

Compounding these issues, the area affected by the fire is situated on a steep slope at a high elevation, leading to low water pressure at certain outlets. The municipality noted that the high-altitude water tank, used for intermediate storage, ran empty four hours after the fire began, holding a capacity of 240,000 liters. While the tank's volume is designed for normal water supply to residents, it is not intended for prolonged firefighting efforts. Officials stressed, however, that these water supply problems did not impact the outcome of the firefighting efforts.

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The water volume in the elevated tanks is dimensioned for normal water supply to the subscribers served by the tank, and it is not dimensioned to deliver water for firefighting over long periods like this.