Cabins destroyed by fire at Þingvellir
Fire fighters at work today. Photo/Contributed
“All the fire has been put out, and embers in the larger cabin are being extinguished,” reports Árnessýsla Fire Chief Pétur Pétursson. Fire erupted shortly before noon in a large summer cabin and another smaller one beside it, on the Grafningur side of Þingvallavatn lake. Neighbors reported the fire. Both of the structures are completely destroyed.
No one is believed to have been inside the cabins when fire erupted.
Fire in the surrounding vegetation has been extinguished, as well as all embers in the smaller cabin. Fire fighters believe they have prevented any danger of fire spreading through vegetation. “Cabins at a 30-m distance could have been at risk, if fire had spread through vegetation. We succeeded in preventing that,” Pétur reports.
The fire chief relates that fighting the fire went well, despite delays resulting from having to cut down trees to create access for fire trucks. “Water was pumped from Þingvallavatn lake, and that went very smoothly.”
The source of the fire is not known, but the South Iceland Police Department is investigating.
