Lightning Strikes Cause Fires in Oulu and Ostrobothnia
A large detached house in Oulu suffered significant damage after a lightning strike ignited a fire during the night between Saturday and Sunday. The two-story, approximately 200-square-meter home in the Hintta district was empty at the time, avoiding personal injuries, though the building sustained extensive smoke and water damage.
According to Yle, the fire started around 00:30 when lightning struck a spruce tree next to the house. Burning branches from the tree flew onto the terrace, setting garden furniture alight, which then spread to the roof structures. Rescue services arrived to find the roof already ablaze (Yle). MTV Uutiset reports that the fire caused substantial smoke and water damage to the property.
In a separate incident, lightning also destroyed a hay barn in Pedersöre, Ostrobothnia, during the early hours of Monday. Yle states that the fire began at 3:28 AM when lightning ignited the barn, which was located at the edge of a field. Rescue services extinguished the blaze within an hour, but the building and its contents were completely destroyed.
