Lightning triggers major water damage at Hanko pharmaceutical plant

A suspected lightning strike triggered the automatic fire suppression system at Fermion’s pharmaceutical plant in Hanko late Monday night, flooding the facility with thousands of cubic metres of water.

West Uusimaa Rescue Services received an automatic fire alarm just before midnight. No actual fire occurred, but suppression systems activated in multiple locations. A thunderstorm front had passed south of the Hanko peninsula earlier in the evening.

Rescue operations continued through the night and into Tuesday morning, with crews still removing foam from the industrial suppression system that had spread into the surrounding area by 9 a.m. Water had leaked through multiple floors, damaging several rooms and a significant amount of equipment. Electricity to the building was cut off as a safety precaution due to water contact with electrical systems.

Eleven units from the rescue service and contract fire brigades responded. No injuries were reported.

Plant manager Antti Salo declined to estimate the extent of the damage, stating only that the situation was still under investigation. Salo was present during the response, though many employees are currently on summer leave. He noted that a scheduled maintenance shutdown was already underway, so the incident would not affect staff attendance.