Two people have been confirmed to have died in a fire in an old timber house in the town of Selfoss in South Iceland yesterday afternoon. A man and a woman are believed to have been on the second floor of the house when the fire broke out. The people did not make it out. The cause of the fire is not known, but two people have been taken into custody in connection to the investigation.
UPDATE 11:25: Police has confirmed that the people who are in custody have a history with the Police, and that officers have on several occasions been dispatched to the house that burned.
Two people escaped the fire
Four people were in the house when the fire broke out, the couple on the second floor as well as a second couple on the first floor. The relatives of the people who died have been notified.
The people who were on the first floor made it out. The people, a man and a woman, were taken into custody by the Police in connection to the investigation into the cause of the fire, but have not yet been interrogated due to their impaired state. The people were heavily intoxicated or under the influence of controlled substances.
Police has not commented on whether the people are suspected of a crime or involvement in the fire breaking out. According to law people can be held in custody for 24 hours without being charged with a crime. According to a statement from the Police in South Iceland officers will interview the people today after they have sobered up.
Cause of fire unknown
The cause of the fire is unknown. A neighbor called the police and fire department when he came home from work shortly before four and noticed a fire in the hose. He told the local newspaper Fréttablaðið that the fire spread rapidly, and that he heard numerous explosions in the house. The house was an old timber house, insulated with highly flammable styrofoam.
The Police in South Iceland is investigating the fire. According to a statement from the Police the people were arrested at the scene. The people have been identified as a man who lived at the address and a woman, who was a guest. Police has not provided any details on the identity of the two people who died in the fire.
Two people have been confirmed to have died in a fire in an old timber house in the town of Selfoss in South Iceland yesterday afternoon. A man and a woman are believed to have been on the second floor of the house when the fire broke out. The people did not make it out. The cause of the fire is not known, but two people have been taken into custody in connection to the investigation.
UPDATE 11:25: Police has confirmed that the people who are in custody have a history with the Police, and that officers have on several occasions been dispatched to the house that burned.
Two people escaped the fire
Four people were in the house when the fire broke out, the couple on the second floor as well as a second couple on the first floor. The relatives of the people who died have been notified.
The people who were on the first floor made it out. The people, a man and a woman, were taken into custody by the Police in connection to the investigation into the cause of the fire, but have not yet been interrogated due to their impaired state. The people were heavily intoxicated or under the influence of controlled substances.
Police has not commented on whether the people are suspected of a crime or involvement in the fire breaking out. According to law people can be held in custody for 24 hours without being charged with a crime. According to a statement from the Police in South Iceland officers will interview the people today after they have sobered up.
Cause of fire unknown
The cause of the fire is unknown. A neighbor called the police and fire department when he came home from work shortly before four and noticed a fire in the hose. He told the local newspaper Fréttablaðið that the fire spread rapidly, and that he heard numerous explosions in the house. The house was an old timber house, insulated with highly flammable styrofoam.
The Police in South Iceland is investigating the fire. According to a statement from the Police the people were arrested at the scene. The people have been identified as a man who lived at the address and a woman, who was a guest. Police has not provided any details on the identity of the two people who died in the fire.
