Vähikkälä residents wary of fireworks warehouse expansion

Residents of Vähikkälä in Janakkala are concerned about plans to nearly double the amount of fireworks stored at a local warehouse, Yle reports. The warehouse caught fire and exploded in November 2025, prompting the evacuation of 60 people and injuring two employees.

Fireworks company Pyrokratia has applied to increase the storage limit from 50,000 kilograms to 99,000 kilograms. The company says it plans to move professional products to Kirkkonummi, leaving only consumer fireworks in Vähikkälä if the permit is granted.

“I was making a salad when I heard two terrible bangs. Then rockets started raining down. Flakes flew into the yard,” said retired doctor Pirjo Anttila, who lives about 400 metres from the warehouse.

Anttila was evacuated by police several hours after the explosion. She said she initially refused to leave her home but changed her mind after an officer told her she would otherwise be carried out.

“Even now, the thought frightens me,” she said.

Residents say the incident exposed uncertainty about how they should respond if a similar accident happens again. The village association is collecting residents’ experiences and concerns in a survey, with the responses to be submitted to the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency, Tukes.

Summer resident Pekka Koskinen, who is also a board member of the village association, said rescue vehicles stayed on top of a ridge because it was too dangerous to drive down to the pit where the warehouse was burning. There was only one road to the site.

“It was a new situation for all of us,” Koskinen said.

Tukes investigated the explosion. Its report said the fire spread through debris, fireworks packages on forklift forks in front of the containers and burning vehicles. The containers’ 100-millimetre mineral wool insulation provided good protection against a rapidly spreading fireworks fire but might not withstand a prolonged vehicle fire nearby, the report said.

Olli Heikkilä, chief of rescue services at the Kanta-Häme rescue department, said the incident was exceptional but did not reveal any need to develop the rescue operation. The area was cordoned off and monitored with thermal cameras until it was safe to enter, which took several days.

Pyrokratia chief executive Juhani Törmänen said the company was willing to discuss the plans with residents.

“We don’t want this to happen again either. Many of the changes are specifically intended to improve safety,” Törmänen said.

The village has its own safety instructions for smaller emergencies, such as cardiac arrests and fires. Residents say the warehouse explosion revealed gaps in their preparations, particularly concerning evacuation procedures.

The permit application is being handled by Tukes. Residents can submit comments until 24 August.