The landmark building Perlan caught on fire today as a fire broke out in the wall boarding of one of the hot water storage tanks, vísir.is reports. The building has been evacuated and Perlan will remain closed today. No injuries were reported but it is believed that the tanks themselves have been damaged.
The Reykjavik Fire brigade is currently on site and has reported that there is not a great fire as it is mostly smoke seeping out from the tank. The tanks in Perlan held some of Reykjavík’s hot water storage at one point, but are currently empty. The tank which caught on fire was being modified for a planetarium, believed to cost about two billion ISK (19.8 million $,16.2 million €). There were construction workers on the site at the time the fire broke out.
Birgir Finnsson, the assistant fire chief of the fire brigade in the capital area, commented that the fire had probably been blazing for some time before the fire brigade arrived on the scene. He claims that conditions are difficult due to the uniqueness of the situation, as the fire is in the wall boarding. The fire brigade removed one sheet from the tank, which the firemen used to douse the tank with water. Birgir says that the main emphasis has been placed on protecting the building and ensuring that the fire does not spread further.
