Brown water flows from taps during ice hockey game after fire hydrant tampering

Brown water poured from the taps at Kouvola ice rink during a home game for the local KooKoo team on Saturday, forcing officials to provide players with bottled water, *Yle* reports.

The incident disrupted the match between KooKoo and Lahti Pelicans after rust-coloured water began flowing from faucets in the locker rooms, café, and restrooms. Maintenance crews delivered dozens of litres of bottled water to players from both teams.

By 9 p.m. local time, the water supply returned to normal, according to KooKoo CEO Sakari Välimaa. Preliminary investigations suggest the issue stemmed from an old fire hydrant near the rink that had been opened, allowing sediment to enter the pipes.

Kouvola Water’s network manager Kari Hirvonen told *Yle* that a snowplough may have loosened the hydrant cover over winter, making it easier to open manually. “Someone likely turned it open out of mischief,” Hirvonen said, noting that the sudden water flow dislodged rust from the aging iron pipes. He confirmed the hydrant had been secured to prevent further tampering.

Välimaa declined to speculate on motives but told *Ilta-Sanomat* he did not suspect fans of either team were involved.