After initial questioning, the police spokesperson Rebecca Landberg stated that suspicions of arson have been reinforced. The individual who was arrested is a man born in the 1990s. The police, however, do not have precise information about how the fire started. Landberg mentioned that the police are still trying to determine the exact sequence of events and the motive behind the incident. She described the fire as being “very extensive” and producing a large amount of smoke. The two burning buildings are located in an industrial area with nearby residential homes, and it was uncertain if there were any people inside the buildings at 11 p.m. Due to the presence of gas pipes in the buildings, firefighters were unable to enter and search for survivors. Tobias Åkesson, the commanding officer at Greater Stockholm’s rescue service, explained that some gas pipes had exploded, increasing the risk of further explosions. The alarm was raised shortly after 4 p.m. on Thursday, and emergency services anticipate staying at the scene throughout the night, even if the situation eases. Therese Blades, a line operator, stated that some fire stations have been allowed to return to their bases, but it is likely that they will be present all night. The police have cordoned off a 300-meter radius around the burning buildings and have closed roads outside the perimeter. The VMA (Viktigt Meddelande till Allmänheten) announcement warning about heavy smoke development may be lifted later in the evening.
– After the first interrogations, the suspicions of arson have been strengthened, says police spokesperson Rebecca Landberg.
The arrested person is a man born in the 1990s. The police cannot answer exactly how the fire started.
– We don’t have that whole picture. The actual sequence of events and the motive are being worked out by the police, says Landberg.
She describes it as a “very extensive fire with a lot of smoke”.
The two burning buildings are in an industrial area, but there are homes nearby. At 11 p.m. it was still unclear if there were any people in them.
Due to gas tubes in the buildings, no smoke diving was possible.
– Some gas pipes have exploded, but there is still an explosion risk, says Tobias Åkesson, commanding officer at Greater Stockholm’s rescue service.
The alarm came shortly after 4pm on Thursday. The emergency services fear that they will have to remain at the scene all night, even if the situation calmed down in the evening.
– Right now we have sent some stations home, but we will probably be there all night, says line operator Therese Blades.
The police have cordoned off a radius of 300 meters around the burning building, but have also closed roads that run outside the cordon. A VMA announcement about heavy smoke development could be withdrawn during the evening.
A fire rages in Vallentuna north of Stockholm. Picture: Christine Olsson/TT/TT
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