Fire destroys acclaimed author’s former home in Imatra

A fire destroyed a protected wooden school building in Imatra overnight before Monday, leaving only its foundation and smouldering ruins, Yle reported. The building had once been the home of acclaimed Finnish author Hilja Valtonen.

Police are investigating the cause of the fire and will examine recordings from surveillance cameras in the area. Fire officer Mikko Kuismanen said the blaze may have smouldered unnoticed for a long time inside the unoccupied wooden building.

The Imatra city-owned building had stood empty for several years. The log-built house had previously been used for activities including preschool education.

Seventeen-year-old Imatra resident Niklas Mäkelä said people had been seen around the abandoned building and that it had always been possible to find a way inside. He suspects the fire may have been deliberately started.

Mäkelä said he was relieved to learn that the neighbouring stone school centre had not caught fire. The centre currently houses associations and businesses, including Robocamp, an organisation that introduces children and young people to robotics.

Yle reporter Vesa Winberg said the news spread on social media and that many bystanders gathered at the scene on Sunday evening. He went there after initially believing that the neighbouring school centre was also on fire.

Building had repeatedly been vandalised

Heikki Varis, property manager at Mitra, a property company owned by the city of Imatra, said the old wooden school had frequently been targeted by vandals.

“People broke in several times, damaged the premises and smashed the windows. They had been moving around with axes and using intoxicants,” Varis said.

The building dated from the 1920s and had suffered from indoor air problems. It had been without heating for several years.

Varis described the destruction as a cultural and historical loss. The more than century-old building had a heritage protection designation and had been Hilja Valtonen’s home. Valtonen was a prolific and respected author whose humorous writing addressed the lives and position of women in the previous century. Films have also been made of two of her best-known works, “Vaimoke” and “Nuoren opettajattaren varaventtiili.”

No new use had been found for the building over the years, and it would have required extensive repairs. Varis said the building had not been intended for demolition but had been waiting for better times.