Youths fire rockets and light fires at Lappeenranta school

Youths have been firing fireworks and lighting fires on the grounds of a school in central Lappeenranta, with disturbances reported almost daily since the summer, Yle reports. The school’s principal says serious injuries have so far been avoided.

Residents have contacted emergency services about fireworks, and rockets were reportedly fired on the school grounds earlier this week. In July, a lawnmower was set alight there. Fences and sports equipment have also been damaged, according to Kimpinen school centre principal Tomi Valkeapää.

The Kimpinen school centre comprises Peltola School, which provides pre-primary and basic education, and the Kimpinen unit of Lappeenranta Upper Secondary School. Police say groups of up to dozens of young people have gathered there. The gatherings have included loud music and small campfires, and reports have come in on weekdays as well as weekends.

Police commissioner Harri Horttanainen of the South-East Finland Police Department said both minors and people aged 18 or older had been among those present. He described the school as a current focal point for disturbances.

Some pupils told Yle they had heard that rubbish bins at the school had been set on fire, while others said they had witnessed vandalism. Ninth-grade pupil Weeti Lötjönen suggested boredom could be one reason for the behaviour.

Valkeapää said the incidents had not affected the school day, but were making sports and other appropriate activities on the grounds more difficult and potentially dangerous. The school is working with the city and other partners on stronger measures to maintain safety. Valkeapää said the school would also inform parents and believed increased supervision could help.

Police said the issue of large youth gatherings is not new, and similar incidents have recently required authorities’ attention elsewhere in Finland, including reports of vandalism in Kotka and violence in Espoo.