Fires | Äkäslompolo's chapel opened its doors due to the hostel fire – “Yes, this shocks us”, says the vicar

Crashing vicar of the parish Jussi Ollilan according to the news about the hostel fire in Äkäslompolo has been received with shock in the village of Äkäslompolo and the surrounding areas.

In the morning, when the news of the fire spread, there was still no information about personal injuries. Ollila says that people were already shocked when they heard about the fire in the historic building in the morning. The shock deepened when the police announced in the afternoon that one person had died in the fire and two were missing.

“Yes, this shocks us, and is the number one topic of conversation at the moment. It's very much on people's minds,” says Ollila.

“People have certainly been talked about by how close the real major accident was. It's lucky that so many were able to escape from there. Many people think that there would have been opportunities for a much bigger disaster.”

7 Fells Hostel entrepreneur Tinja Tamminen received information about the hostel fire already the night before Tuesday. He was called and asked about the possibility of emergency accommodation for people who stayed in the hostel.

There was no room in Tamminen's hostel, but it was found on the other hand.

“At night, when I started watching it, there were very sad feelings. And even more shocking now during the day,” says Tamminen.

“It's pretty empty thoughts at the moment.”

The burnt-out building was familiar to Tammis, as he started accommodation operations in that building in 2014. His company moved from there to its current premises in the center of the village in 2020.

Throughout Tuesday, Tamminen followed the news about the fire alongside his own work. The event sparked discussion among locals and tourists.

“We are very sad. It [rakennus] related to many families. The house has been moved there, and those logs contain the history of local families,” he says.

Sunburned the building is also connected to the accommodation provider Vesa Kaulanen to the family. His parents ran an accommodation business in the building for about a year in the early 1950s, until they built their own house and moved the accommodation there.

The burnt-out hostel is located about a kilometer from Kaulasen Ylläsen's Yöpuu company. Kaulanen learned about the fire from the news early Tuesday morning. Smoke and flames could be seen all the way to Kaulainen's company.

“Of course, that one shocks everyone. Especially if several have gone there, but even one is enough,” he says.

Tinja Tamminen's hostel now has mainly foreign tourists. Many of them said they had received worried calls from their home countries on Tuesday.

“The news also spread abroad. Our customers have received contacts. Worried family members and friends ask if everything is OK there,” says Tamminen.

Some of his current customers have stayed overnight in the burnt building while Tamminen was running the accommodation business there.

“They know the place, and this will surely bring back memories of that place as well.”

Tuesday night Kolar congregation opened the chapel of St. Lauri in Äkäslompolo for quieting. There were church workers there.

“We are available if someone wants to quiet down or needs conversational help,” says vicar Jussi Ollila.

The congregation will also keep the chapel open on Wednesday morning. On Thursday evening, a regular weekly mass is organized in the chapel, which is now transformed into a devotion due to the accident.