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FIRE

‘Pizzeria arsonist’ wounded in fire

A 25-year-old man who received burns in a pizzeria fire has been arrested on suspicion of committing severe arson.

Published: 16 June 2013 16:41 CEST

It was just after midnight on Sunday that a violent fire broke out in a pizza restaurant in Strängnäs, south-east Sweden.

When rescue personnel arrived they found a 25-year-old man at the restaurant who was wounded, having received burns.

Police questioned the man on the spot and then arrested him before bringing him to a nearby hospital.

Police are treating the fire as arson and believe the 25-year-old is the culprit. He reportedly has no criminal record and details of his condition were unclear on Sunday afternoon, according to tabloid Aftonbladet.

It took 16 firemen to put out the flames.

“The fire started in the pizzeria, spread up to the attic and then a whole row of houses nearly went up in smoke,” fire inspector Michael Gregebo told news agency TT.

“On Monday, forensic investigators will examine the location,” said police commander Dennis Ejdvinsson.

Fire fighters managed to contain the fire within a few hours and stopped it from spreading to other buildings.

A neighbouring gym hall was evacuated since children attending a sports camp were spending the night there.

By 11am on Sunday, when the fire was finally out, the pizzeria was completely burnt down.

TT/The Local/nr Follow The Local on Twitter

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FIRE

Why have there been so many fires in Copenhagen this year?

Thursday’s fire at Denmark’s tax ministry follows a blaze at the historic Old Stock Exchange and several fires at the headquarters of pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk on the outskirts of Copenhagen.

Published: 27 June 2024 15:11 CEST
Why have there been so many fires in Copenhagen this year?

A fire broke out on Thursday morning on the roof of the building which houses Denmark’s Tax Ministry in central Copenhagen, which fire services in the capital were able to put out shortly afterwards.

The Tax Ministry fire is at least the fifth high-profile blaze in and around Copenhagen since April, following three at different buildings owned by pharma giant Novo Nordisk and the devastating fire which turned parts of the historic Old Stock Exchange (Børsen) to rubble.

The high number of fires occurring within a relatively short period appears to be down to no more than chance, Jens Kastvig, an expert with the Danish Society of Engineers said to newswire Ritzau.

“There’s always a risk that a fire can break out in a building,” Kastvig said, noting that the average annual fire rate is around one per 100,000 to 150,000 square metre of building.

“That could be anything from a smaller to a larger fire,” he said.

Kastvig said that he initially guessed the Tax Ministry fire was the result of renovation work.

Both Børsen and the Novo Nordisk buldings were also undergoing renovations at the time of their fires. This increases the risk of fire breaking out in a more flammable material such as bitumen waterproofing, or a fire otherwise related to the ongoing work.

No renovations were ongoing at the Tax Ministry however, the building’s owner ATP Ejendomme has confirmed.

“The fire services are busy at the moment. But I hope it’s a coincidence,” Kastvig said.

Tim Ole Sørensen of the Copenhagen Fire Service, Hovedstadens Beredskab, said on Thursday that there was no suggestion that the fires were related.

“There’s nothing that indicates any form of connection at all to us, and we are talking about very different businesses and types of building,” he said.

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