On the night of Friday, the emergency services were notified of two fires on external house walls in Eik in Tønsberg. The fires started shortly after each other at houses that are only 100 meters apart.
The police arrested a man in connection with the fires, but he was released after questioning on Friday evening.
– The police asked him about his movements, and now he has been released. Then it’s just a matter of putting two and two together, and for the police to go out and find the right person, says the man’s lawyer Espen Wangberg to Tønsbergs Blad.
The man was charged with setting two fires and causing danger to the public, duty lawyer Pernille Nordendahl told the newspaper earlier on Friday.
Want tips
The police want tips from members of the public who have either stayed in the area, or who have surveillance videos or the like, says section leader Knut Erik Ågrav in the Sørøst police district in a press release.
Ågrav says that he has great understanding that the fires are experienced as dramatic both for those who were directly involved and for the local community in general.
– The case has a high priority for the police, and we are increasing our presence in the local area, he says.
Two fire approaches in the same area
The emergency services were first notified of a fire at 02.41. There was a fire in an external house wall, and the residents of the house were evacuated as there was smoke inside the home. There were no open flames and the fire was quickly extinguished. Half an hour later, the police reported that the fire had been extinguished.
Shortly afterwards, the emergency services were notified of a new fire in an external wall just 100 meters away from the first. This fire was also quickly extinguished.
The police’s main theory on Friday morning was that the fires were set, operations manager Tor Richard Skuggedal told NTB.
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2024-09-29 13:54:14
