Gjöll – Fire Fatalities Database of Iceland

Gjöll is a digital database and analytical platform that compiles and verifies all fatal fire incidents in Iceland between 1968 and 2025. The project combines meticulous manual data collection, triple verification, and open public access. Its tools include a dynamic map, time-series analysis, and downloadable datasets. The goal is to illuminate long-term trends in fire safety and provide reliable, traceable data for public policy, academic research, and community education. All data are also accessible through Gagnís, the centralized research data repository at the University of Iceland.

The project began in 2023 as a personal investigation into the reliability of official fire statistics in Iceland. It quickly revealed systemic inconsistencies in government records. Among the findings: no fire fatalities have occurred in buildings constructed after Iceland’s modern building code came into effect in 1998.

The name Gjöll comes from Norse mythology—it refers to the river that flows through Helheim, the realm of the dead. It symbolizes both the gravity of the dataset and its purpose: to shed light on the darkest parts of Iceland’s fire safety history so that future tragedies may be prevented.

Visit: Gjöll