Kalasatama balcony fire: police suspect elderly resident of public endangerment
Police suspect that a gas grill ignition on Saturday evening caused a high-rise apartment building fire in Kalasatama. Over 60 apartments were rendered uninhabitable.
Gas grill ignition sparked widespread high-rise building fire in Kalasatama
Iltalehti reported that an elderly couple was beginning to grill on their balcony when the gas suddenly and violently ignited. The balcony caught fire quickly, and the residents attempted to extinguish the flames with water – without success. The fire, which began on Saturday evening, spread from the balcony to the roof of the apartment building at the intersection of Capella Park Road and Leokatu, and the flames, smoke and extinguishing water rendered over 60 apartments uninhabitable.
The investigation leader, criminal commissioner Tuomas Lindholm, states in a police statement that the person grilling has been questioned. The suspect denies committing the offence and says he attempted to grill safely. According to him, there was no food in the grill at the time of ignition – the device had been set to warm up in preparation for cooking.
Police suspect the resident of public endangerment, which can be punished with fines or at most one year imprisonment. Previously, the suspicion related to aggravated public endangerment.
According to Lindholm, the gas grill device that was on the balcony was a relatively small tabletop model and relatively new. The police have not yet disclosed the grill model.
"We are unable to say how much this has been a matter of careful use of the grill or possibly a technical defect," Lindholm says.
The final determination of the cause of ignition will take weeks, and the preliminary investigation as a whole will take months. Rescue service fire inspectors have examined the apartment building's structures – to date, no defects have been identified.
Source: Iltalehti