A major fire broke out in a warehouse on Gufunesvegur shortly before 5 p.m. yesterday. When the Capital Area Fire and Rescue Service arrived on the scene, the building was fully engulfed in flames. The fire was reported at 5:03 p.m.
The fire occurred in a warehouse owned by the City of Reykjavík, which the production company True North had been leasing. The building housed props from both domestic and international productions by True North.
Firefighters remained at the site of the warehouse in Gufunes that burned yesterday until around 1 a.m., and throughout the night they made several return visits to assess conditions.
This was stated by Ásgeir Halldórsson , Assistant Station Officer with the Capital Area Fire and Rescue Service, in an interview with mbl.is. Firefighting operations concluded around 10 p.m. last night, after which the scene was handed over to the police.
Extensive damage: “I don’t think there is anyone to blame”
The chairman of True North says that at first glance, everything that was inside the warehouse that burned in Gufunes yesterday appears to be destroyed.
The warehouse contained props the production company had accumulated over the years from both domestic and international projects.
Asked about the scale of the damage, Guðjón Ómar Davíðsson , chairman of True North, said he could not provide figures but described it as “extensive damage.” He added that some of the items had sentimental value that cannot be compensated financially.
Props from True Detective and The Danish Woman
Among the destroyed items were props from the fourth season of True Detective, which was filmed in Iceland, as well as from the Icelandic TV series Felix and Klara, Vigdís , and The Danish Woman, which are currently being broadcast on RÚV.
Davíðsson noted that True North has an environmental policy that includes reusing materials. “That was part of what we were doing here —contributing in that area,” he said, referring in that context to the concept of green filming.
Asked whether True North will be compensated for the losses, he said that remains to be seen. The fire will not affect the company’s operations.
City not liable for the damage
A lease agreement between True North and the City of Reykjav ík, signed in 2024, states that the tenant must conduct its operations in a manner that complies with public regulations and directives, including those relating to fire safety, health, electrical systems and building inspections.
The agreement also states that the landlord —the city—“shall not be liable for damage that may occur to the tenant’s property in the leased premises due to accidents, such as water damage, fire, smoke, or similar incidents.”
It further stipulates that “the tenant must handle fire and hazardous materials with care within the building and ensure that no danger arises from electrical wiring, machinery, or other equipment under its responsibility.”
The agreement was open-ended, and the rent amounted to ISK 1.1 million per month.
Appears to have been an accident
Asked whether fire safety measures at the warehouse had been inadequate, Dav íðsson said that was not the case. The company had been using the facility for two years without incident and had not been in discussions with the fire service about potential fire safety improvements.
“No, there was nothing to improve. This just appears to have been an accident. I don’t think there is anyone to blame,” he said.
He added that there were no offices in the warehouse and no staff working there —it was used solely for storage.
Dav íðsson also said that True North does not lease any other city-owned warehouses in Gufunes .
Source: Mbl.is
