Äkäslompolo fire | Those rescued from the hostel fire did not hear the fire alarm – This is known about the building's fire alarms

Last The Silver Fox hostel, which burned to the ground in a devastating fire last week, had fire alarms, says Suomen Ladu's executive director Eki Karlsson.

Suomen Latu owns the property.

“The functionality of the fire alarms will certainly be known after the authorities' investigation,” says Karlsson.

There has been uncertainty about it, because, among other things, a Belgian newspaper of HLN the eyewitness interviewed said that there was no fire alarm in the hotel. Helsingin Sanomat the eyewitness interviewed said he did not hear the fire alarms go off, but he could not say whether the fire alarms had gone off at any point.

Communication specialist Katja Ronkainen The rescue service of Lapland says that the rescue service cannot comment on the location of the fire alarms while the investigation is in progress.

The operator is responsible for installing and maintaining fire alarms in accommodation facilities.

Hostel burned last week on the night before Tuesday. 31 people were saved from the rapidly advancing fire, some by jumping from the second floor into the snow. At least two people died in the fire: one Finnish and one Central European. In addition, one person was still missing on Tuesday evening. According to the police, it is very likely that he is dead.

The hostel in the property is run by Silver Fox Hostel oy. Karlsson praises the entrepreneur.

“Silver Fox's CEO has been our best partner. He has been very forward-looking, careful and managed things in a really exemplary manner at the hotel. The rooms were clean and pretty, everything was tiptop. For example, powder fire extinguishers were always serviced to the last,” says Karlsson.

The cause of the fire is not yet known. The public has speculated e.g. electric bicycles on the porch of the hostel as the source of the fire. However, according to the Accident Investigation Centre, this is not the main focus of the investigation at the moment.

It may take some time to find out the exact cause of the fire, because the hostel burned so badly to the ground.

Hostel building according to tradition, it was already completed in the 1950s. The last building permit was processed in 2002, says the building inspector of Kolar municipality Pentti Möykynen. According to him, the measures proposed in the application were the expansion of the restaurant, the thermal insulation of the outer walls and the conversion of the warehouse into a waste shelter.

According to Karlsson, small-scale repairs and electrical work have been done to the building since then. The most recent work was the installation of air heat pumps. According to Suomen Latu's information, all work has been done with care and properly inspected.

The municipality's building control does not supervise operation during use. Lapland's rescue service does not comment on when the last fire inspection was carried out in the building.

Risk Management Manager Timo Rantala Lapland's rescue service generally says that fire inspections are carried out in accommodation and hotel buildings every 6 to 60 months. The frequency of fire inspections is affected by how risky the object is assessed to be.

In the fire inspection, in addition to the fire alarms, the initial extinguishing equipment as well as rescue plans and exit safety are inspected.

According to the decree issued by the Ministry of the Interior in 2009, each room in the accommodation facility must be equipped with at least one fire alarm. In addition, there must be a smoke alarm in common areas for every 60 square meters.

The hostel had both dormitories and private rooms. The ground floor of the cabin-like accommodation had, among other things, a fireplace, kitchen and common living areas.

Finland On Monday, Ladun Karlsson was inspecting the condition of five other buildings owned by Suomen Ladu located on the same plot. They seem to have escaped the worst, even though they were without electricity and water for several days.

At the same time, he saw the destroyed hostel building. The sight was arresting. In the place where there used to be a historic touristic wooden building with more than 30 accommodations, there was a burnt pile. The frames of two chimneys were bulging with ash.

“Walls are a secondary issue. I want to emphasize that lives have been lost in the fire. We must now respect those who are grieving, and for my part, I want to express my deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.”