Firefighters at the site of a deadly hostel fire in Äkäslompolo, Kolari, on 13 February 2024. Lapland Police Department on Friday communicated that the fire, which claimed the lives of one Finn and two Germans, is believed to have been caused by negligence. (Stringer – Lehtikuva)
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NEGLIGENCE is believed to have caused the deadly hostel fire in Kolari, Finnish Lapland, on 13 February.
Lapland Police Department on Friday communicated that it is investigating the fire, which claimed the lives of one Finn and two Germans, as grossly negligent endangerment, aggravated negligent homicide, grossly negligent infliction of bodily injury and rescue offence.
A police spokesperson said the pre-trial investigation is challenging because most parties to the case are foreign nationals and have left Finland.
“The fire that claimed the lives of three people and destroyed the hostel will preoccupy the police for a long time,” the press release reads.
The Silver Fox hostel burnt down in Äkäslompolo, Kolari, on 13 February. One Finnish and two German nationals died in the fire, whereas 31 managed to exit the property on their own after the fire was detected shortly after midnight.
“We’re definitely not talking about a small crime but a relatively serious act. As you have grossly negligent endangerment linked to aggravated negligent homicide in this case, police are investigating very serious crimes,” Matti Tolvanen, a professor emeritus of criminal law at the University of Eastern Finland, analysed in an interview with YLE on Friday.
While police did not disclose how many people are suspected and whether the suspects were guests at the hostel, Tolvanen said to the public broadcasting company that the suspected offence of grossly negligent endangerment would in general point to guests or other people who were at the site of the fire.
Tolvanen told Helsingin Sanomat that the offence indicates that one or more people are suspected of causing the fire through negligence. In general, he added, such negligence could entail the careless use of fire or electrical equipment.
“There’s a pretty diverse range of possible acts,” he stated to the newspaper.
Helsingin Sanomat also pointed out that the identification of a suspect or suspects is not a prerequisite for recording the suspected offences.
The police press release also indicates that investigators do not suspect arson due to the lack of references to aggravated criminal mischief and, possibly, manslaughter or attempted manslaughter. The reference to rescue offence, meanwhile, points to the possibility that the party who owns or maintains the property is suspected of neglecting safety-related obligations.
“You may be guilty of rescue offence if you neglect to comply with fire safety regulations. The negligence may be failure to take care of fire alarms or their condition,” Tolvanen said to YLE.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
