WATCH: At least 100 homes destroyed in Norway’s largest residential fire in modern history; Triggers mass evacuation

Smoke rises from a fire that engulfs terraced houses in the village of Krokstadelva in Drammen, Norway.

A massive fire in the southern Norwegian city of Drammen has destroyed at least 100 homes and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate, authorities said Saturday. According to officials, the fire in the area, located about 34 km southwest of the capital Oslo, is the largest fire in the country’s history.In the video circulating on social media, flames and smoke can be seen engulfing the houses. The fire broke out in a townhouse around 3.30 pm local time on Friday and quickly spread to neighboring houses and nearby wooded areas. Fire fighters continued working till Saturday to bring the fire under control.More than 80 firefighters are working to extinguish the fire, while helicopters have been deployed to douse the fire with water. Drammen resident Finn Roin told Sky News, “I got a call from my daughter that there was a fire three apartment blocks below hers. A few minutes later, my son and I came over to see what was happening.”He said, “When we got here it seemed brighter because the fire was at the bottom, but it spread incredibly fast. Then we saw the flames engulfing row after row of houses. Then I saw my daughter’s house. It has burned down now and is still burning. There are still flames there.”The Norwegian Civil Protection Directorate described the incident as the largest residential fire in the country’s modern history.Hundreds of people took shelter in an evacuation center while emergency services tackled the fire, according to public broadcaster NRK. Police said no residents were reported missing. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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