Norway police identify suspect after large Drammen fire

Norwegian police said on Tuesday that they have identified a suspect linked to a large fire that broke out last week in Drammen, near Oslo, but said they are not treating the blaze as a deliberate criminal act.

The fire occurred on Friday and destroyed more than 100 houses. Local media have described it as the largest fire of its kind in Norway in a century.

Police official Nina Fladhus of the southeast police district said police currently did not have a concrete suspicion that anything criminal had happened.

Fladhus said a person had been given the status of a suspect so that the person's interests could be further protected, including the right to a defence attorney. She said that suspect status did not mean police had information about the cause of the fire or that any crime had been committed.

Police said they have an idea of where the fire started, but said it was too early to release details about the cause.

More than 400 people were evacuated as the fire spread quickly, prompting a large firefighting response. Many people have since been able to return.

Firefighting operations were still under way on Tuesday, but the local rescue service said the situation was under control.