At least five people have died in separate house fires in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the UK over the past week, authorities reported. The incidents include a cooking-related fire in Norway, a blaze in Oslo, a fire at a care facility in Finland, and a house fire in Manchester, England.
In Norway, a man in his 60s died from burn injuries after a cooking-related fire at his home on Halsnøy, according to police station chief Sigurd Børve. The man was transported by air ambulance to Haukeland University Hospital but died later the same day, Børve said. In a separate incident in Oslo, a man was found dead in a bedroom after a fire that was limited to one room, police said. The fire occurred on a Monday evening, and several people self-evacuated, according to multiple reports. Police prosecutor Guro Enger stated that the case is being investigated to clarify the sequence of events and the cause of the fire, and police are awaiting forensic examinations at the scene. Operations leader Øyvind Hammervold added that the fire is believed to have burned in a bedroom in an apartment, where a person was found.
In Sweden, a man died after a house fire in Fogdhytta, according to multiple reports. Separately, Aftonbladet reported that a firefighter died during a training exercise in Växjö, though the circumstances remain unclear.
In Finland, a man died after a fire in Espoo that started outside and did not spread, police said. The fire occurred on a Friday at approximately 18:00 at a care facility operated by Hoivapalveluyhtiö Humanan Kuurinkallio, according to the facility. The man died on Saturday in hospital, police confirmed. An eyewitness told Ilta-Sanomat that an older man in a wheelchair caught fire while smoking.
In the UK, a man in his 70s died in a house fire in Manchester, Greater Manchester Police said. The fire occurred at 4:40pm on Cranwell Drive, Burnage, and the man was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service. Crews from three fire stations attended the blaze, which lasted nearly three hours. Greater Manchester Police stated that enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.
Investigations are underway in several cases. Police are probing the cause of the fire in Oslo, Enger said. Police are also investigating the fire in Manchester, according to Greater Manchester Police. The cause of the fire in Espoo remains unknown. In a separate incident in Levanger, a police dog discovered a missing person after a fire, but it is not confirmed whether that person died. The circumstances of the firefighter's death in Växjö have not been confirmed.