Half of all human-caused fires in Finland go unresolved. In Helsinki, for instance, there are some 150 such fires annually. Most cause minor damage, taking place in sites such as garbage collection sheds or within private homes. Less than a dozen are actually arson, estimates inspector Markku Stenberg of the Helsinki police. They are usually motivated by bitterness or revenge rather than an intention to actually harm someone else.
Identifying the cause of human-sparked fires is difficult, admits Stenberg.
"With major fires and cases of aggravated vandalism we have a higher rate of resolving cases, but in smaller cases the rate is about 50 percent," he says.
The highest incidence of forest and brush fires is in the spring and summer. Determining whether forest fires are deliberately set or the result of carelessness is often nearly impossible, says Stenberg.
Close call in Tampere
Early Monday, fire-fighters rescued a resident of a small flat in Tampere after a fire was apparently intentionally lit. The other resident of the two-person flat called rescue officials after noticing the blaze. There was no damage to other units in the seven-storey building.
On Monday morning there were reports of fires in a forest area of Espoo as well as houses in Kouvola, Orimattila, Pori and Lahti, among others.
A forest-fire warning is in effect in the Åland Islands and south-westernmost Finland as well as in the municipality of Utsjoki in far northern Lapland.
