Fire report points to spark as cause of fatal Tampere cabin blaze

A spark or ember from a fireplace or chimney probably started a cabin fire in Tampere’s Teisko district that killed one young man and seriously injured two others, according to Yle.

The fire broke out on July 7. Investigators could not determine whether flames first caught in the cabin’s structures or in combustible material near the fireplace. They ruled out the possibility that the building caught fire from outside.

The fireplace had been used that evening, and it was still lit when the last person awake went to bed. Tests using a smoke cartridge found leaks in the fireplace and chimney, but investigators could not establish whether the damage predated the fire or resulted from it, given the intensity of the blaze and the collapse of parts of the building.

Three young men from outside the area had been staying at the cabin for two days. One escaped by breaking a window, while the other probably got out through the front door. The third man was found dead inside.

One of the survivors ran to a neighbour to raise the alarm. The emergency call was made at 4.20am, and the cabin was fully ablaze when firefighters arrived just over 20 minutes later. The report said there was no smoke alarm in the cabin and no one had attempted to put out the fire in its early stages.

Police investigated whether the three men had committed a rescue-law violation. The case is now with the prosecutor, and police have proposed ending the investigation.