Police suspect arson in Lohja detached house fire

Police in western Uusimaa have detained a suspect believed to have deliberately set fire to a detached house in Lohja on Wednesday evening, reports Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

The fire broke out in a residential property near Highway 25, which connects Hanko and Hyvinkää. Two people were inside the house when the blaze started but managed to escape unassisted. The building was almost completely destroyed.

According to Detective Inspector Marjut Kronlund, the suspect left the scene before authorities arrived but was apprehended shortly afterward in another part of Lohja. Police have not yet disclosed further details, as technical investigations and interrogations are still ongoing.

Witnesses reported seeing a large plume of smoke from the intense fire, visible from the nearby highway.