Around midnight, over 20 callers raised the alarm about a loud bang in an apartment building on Industrigatan. An apartment on the third floor was engulfed in flames when the emergency services arrived.
The apartment is completely destroyed and around 40 residents in the house were evacuated during the night. Thanks to modern fire walls in the newly built house, the fire did not spread to neighboring apartments.
Person jumped from a balcony
The police officer on duty, Thomas Söderberg, says that a person jumped from a balcony during the fire. It is unclear which floor it is about. The man was taken to hospital by ambulance.
– The person is awake and talking but has received some kind of skeletal injury to the foot or leg, he says and adds that no one else should be injured.
Powerful fireworks display
During Friday morning, the police stated that the explosion was caused by a powerful piece of fireworks which had then started the fire.
– It is the bomb protection that was on site and drew those conclusions, says Patric Fors, the police’s press officer.
The assessment is also that it is about something that was placed in the stairwell and exploded, not that it is a flammable liquid that was ignited.
– The circumstances make us believe that someone has placed something there, says Thomas Söderberg, officer on duty at the police, to TT, referring to the stairwell and the floor where the apartment is located.
The incident is now being investigated as suspected attempted murder, gross public dangerous destruction and violation of the Act on Flammable and Explosive Goods. The continued technical investigation will show what it was that exploded.
Previous incidents during December
Katrinelund and several other areas in the city have been rocked by several explosions and fires in the past month.
Between December 5 and 6, two explosions occurred around Värnhem in the course of 24 hours. Just two days later, someone threw a hand grenade into an arcade in the Almhög area.
Shortly afterwards, on the 12th, an arson attack was carried out against a restaurant on Bergsgatan.
On December 19, three similar events occurred in the same night at different locations not too far apart.
Also on the day before Christmas Eve, an explosion occurred next to a residential building in Rosengård. A 14-year-old boy is arrested and suspected in that case.