More than 100 homes evacuated as Norway's 'worst fire in modern history' rips through residential area in historic city

More than 100 homes have been evacuated as Norway's "worst fire in modern history" has ripped through a historic city's residential area.

The blaze, which began yesterday afternoon, forced hundreds of residents in Drammen to flee their properties, authorities confirmed earlier today.

Lars Jacob Hiim, the director of the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection, said the incident was the largest recorded fire of its kind in the country's modern era.

The fire broke out in a townhouse at around 3.30pm yesterday, authorities confirmed.

Despite the scale of destruction, no fatalities or serious injuries have been reported, nor are any residents listed as missing.

Drammen lies approximately 34 kilometres southwest of the Norwegian capital, Oslo.

Strong winds in the area fanned the flames spread rapidly through the neighbourhood of terraced housing, with the surrounding woodland areas quickly catching alight.

Thick black smoke could be seen blanketing the region as the fire roared through the area.

"I got a call from my daughter saying that three apartment blocks below her were on fire," one Dramman loca, Finn Roine, told Sky News.

"A few minutes later, my son and I drove up here to see what was happening.

The resident continued: "When we got here it looked brighter because the fire was lower down, but it spread incredibly fast. Then we saw the flames take one row of houses after another.

"Then I saw my daughter's house. It has burned down now, and it's still burning. There are still flames there."

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More than 80 firefighters battled the blaze, with additional crews arriving from neighbouring regions.

Meanwhile, helicopters were deployed to drop water on the flames from above in an attempt to bring the roaring flames under control.

Over the past 24 hours, police have been continuing to work to evacuate hundreds of people from their homes as the fire continued to rage across the region.

Norway's public broadcaster NRK reported that evacuees gathered at a designated emergency centre.

All through Saturday, crews were still working late into the evening to bring the fire under control.

More than 400 people have now been moved from their homes, local authorities confirmed.

The cause of the fire remains unknown.

Investigators have not yet determined where exactly within the townhouse the blaze originated.

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