Fire burns the church in South Karelia to the ground | News
According to the Southeastern Finland police, the fire may have been started on purpose.
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Southeastern Finland’s police have launched a preliminary investigation into the fire that completely destroyed a centuries-old wooden church in Rautjärvi municipality.
A fire broke out on Sunday morning during the Christmas service of the Rautjärvi church.
30-40 people participated in the service, but according to the rescue service, everyone was evacuated safely.
According to the authorities, there is reason to suspect that the fire that destroyed the Rautjärvi church was started on purpose, so the crime is being investigated as aggravated property damage.
Vicar of Ruokolahti parish Leena Haakana said the fire spread so quickly that authorities had no choice but to let the fire burn the building to the ground. He also said he believed the destruction was likely intentional.
“I think that there is now some kind of suspicion of malicious intent, because no other reasonable reason has been found. I would hope that this is not the case, but the suspicions are now pointing in that direction. However, the matter is still being investigated, and I cannot say more about it,” Haakana told Yle .
Investigation officer Timo Valle told Yle that the authorities are also investigating whether the church fire can be connected to another fire that broke out around the same time.
On Sunday morning, a few kilometers away from the church, a single-family house also caught fire.
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