Arsonist jailed for four years after Randers apartment fire

A 33-year-old man has been sentenced to four years in prison for aggravated arson after a fire forced 45 residents to evacuate an apartment building in Randers in September 2025, DR reports.

The Randers District Court found him guilty of starting the fire on Østervold in central Randers during the night of 25 September. Several residents were in danger and had to be rescued through the windows of their apartments. No one was seriously injured.

East Jutland Police quickly suspected that the fire had been deliberately started. Video surveillance led investigators to the man, who was arrested the same day and later remanded in custody.

During a search of his phone, investigators found a message to a friend in which he admitted starting the fire. Police also said that several technical traces pointed to him.

The man admitted in court that he had caused the fire but denied starting it deliberately. He said he had simply thrown a cigarette into a bin. The court rejected that explanation and found that he had lit the fire before leaving without taking further action.

Senior prosecutor Rosa Pape said it was almost miraculous that no one was seriously injured or killed. She said the man must have been aware that starting a large fire at night in a building where many residents were sleeping put other people at very great risk.

The man will not appeal the sentence, his defence lawyer, Berit Ernst, said. She added that he was deeply remorseful and upset that lives had been put at risk.