Six-unit row house completely destroyed in fire in Puolanka

A six-unit row house was completely destroyed in an overnight fire in Puolanka, Kainuu, with the nearest firefighting units arriving from neighbouring municipalities nearly an hour away, Yle reports.

The fire broke out shortly after midnight, and no injuries were reported. The privately owned building, constructed in the late 1970s, was fully engulfed before crews from Paltamo and Suomussalmi arrived. Puolanka’s volunteer fire brigade has no on-call readiness, relying instead on units from neighbouring towns under a mutual aid agreement.

Puolanka’s mayor, Harri Peltola, acknowledged long-standing gaps in emergency response. “We’ve managed by luck for three years, but now that luck has run out,” he said. The Kainuu Wellbeing Services County, which oversees regional rescue operations, dispatched 10 units along with paramedics and police.

All residents were evacuated safely, and no one has yet requested emergency housing from the municipality, though Peltola confirmed vacant rental units are available. The Finnish Red Cross provided hygiene supplies to those displaced.

Firefighters battled the blaze through the night, with embers reigniting in the afternoon, requiring further cooling of the ruins. The cause remains under investigation, pending the site’s cooling. Authorities noted the fire spread rapidly through an uncompartmented attic space.