A fire that broke out just before midnight Tuesday killed all three members of a family in Kotka, south-east Finland.
Their home, a Second World War-era detached house on Sommeenkatu in the Veikkola neighbourhood, was completely engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived.
The Kymenlaakso Rescue Department (Kympe) received an alarm a few minutes before midnight. By the time they arrived, the parents and their adult son had died.
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Eleven rescue units responded to the blaze. Its cause is under investigation.
No smoke detector?
Kympe fire chief Veli-Matti Heininen says it is unclear whether there was a functional smoke detector in the house.
“Apparently there wasn’t, as the family members were unable to escape. None of them,” he tells Yle, adding that an alarm might have given them time to reach safety.
Heininen says the fire developed quite rapidly as the house was furnished with many cushions, pillows, duvets and rugs made of synthetic and oil-based materials, which burn quickly.
“It’s quite overwhelming, that smoke. It knocks you out fast,” he says.