Helsinki Police report a fire that took the lives of four people in a sixth-floor apartment on the street of Vuotie in Helsinki’s Vuosaari district early Friday morning.
“The worst fire damage was in the sauna. Police are investigating the cause of the blaze,” said the head of the investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Anne Hietala in a release that promises more information in the afternoon.
The fire was first noticed by a neighbour in the housing block some time after 2:30 am. Rescue Services were informed at 2:47 and the first unit of many was on the scene eleven minutes later at 2:58.
Kimmo Tuominen, the fire chief on duty, told the media that the Fire and Rescue Services extinguished the fire quickly.
“The fire was confined to the room in which it started,” he said, shortly after 6 am.
He said the victims of the fire were quickly removed from the flat, but despite rapid resuscitation attempts, they were unable to save anyone.
He also said that the fire had not spread to any other flats in the building.