Two Die In Housefire In Selfoss Last Night, Two Suspects In Police Custody

A housefire that began in Selfoss yesterday afternoon has now become a police investigation, RÚV reports. While the cause of the blaze has not been disclosed, the landlord and a visitor to the house are now in police custody.

Firefighters who arrived on the scene were informed that there were two people still inside the house. Unfortunately, the fire spread through the house too quickly and the blaze was too powerful to reach the people inside, and they reportedly perished in the blaze.

Firefighters were still battling the blaze later in the evening when reporters spoke with area fire chief Pétur Pétursson.

“I presume that when the embers have died down, three of our men will be here through the night, and so of course also the police,” he said last night. “Police investigations of the scene will not begin in full before tomorrow.”

As the structure is very unstable, firefighters will need to reinforce what remains of the house before police can examine what may have caused the blaze. The identities of the two in police custody have not been disclosed, nor what they have been charged with.