Two individuals investigated for property damage at Scandic Park hotel in Helsinki

Two individuals are being investigated for serious property damage at the Scandic Park Hotel in Helsinki. According to preliminary police findings, a fire alarm was triggered at the hotel around 2 a.m. on Saturday night. As a result, a sprinkler system in one of the eighth-floor hotel rooms was activated. Although no fire was detected in the hotel, the water from the sprinkler system caused extensive water damage.

The investigation is being led by Crime Commissioner Juha Åkerman from the Helsinki police department, who stated that the inquiry is still ongoing. Currently, the police are awaiting claims for compensation from the affected party, as well as a more comprehensive report on the nature of the damages. The technical investigation is also still in progress.

Åkerman expressed the goal of completing the investigation as quickly as possible, but he anticipates that the overall process may take several months. According to Åkerman, intentionally caused water damage is a relatively rare crime. Last week, there were reports of a case in which police suspect a man broke into a health center in Pihlajamäki and caused significant water damage by opening a fire hydrant.

Åkerman noted that it is quite a coincidence for two such severe acts of property damage to be under investigation at the same time; however, he confirmed that the two cases are not connected.