Helsinki fire department responds to false alarm from TV fireplace simulation in residential building

During the night between Friday and Saturday, Helsinki’s fire department responded to an unusual call involving an apartment in a residential building. The apartment, located on Kunnalliskodintie, had a large flat-screen TV displaying a fireplace simulation. A resident from a nearby building reported the situation to emergency services.

“On the TV, there was a background ambiance with flames flickering. To an outside observer, it appeared that something might be burning inside the apartment. However, there was no smoke,” said Fire Chief Sami Lappalainen. He noted that he had heard of similar situations before, where ambient lighting behind curtains has been mistaken for a fire. “During the autumn, larger decorative lights flickering behind curtains have occasionally been misinterpreted as flames,” he recalled.

In a separate incident during the same night in Eastern Uusimaa, emergency services were called to a bizarre situation where a gaming console caught fire while being used. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the room where the fire originated was completely destroyed.