On Saturday, people woke up to a shock in Oulunkylä, Helsinki. The 100-year-old home stadium of Gnistan, playing its first season in the Veikkausliiga, had been completely destroyed by fire.
So far, no crime is suspected in the fire, Helsinki police said. However, the possibility of a crime cannot yet be completely ruled out.
There were still a lot of curious people in the afternoon. The case has aroused a lot of emotions in Oulunkylä, and tears have not been avoided.
For example, someone who lives near the stadium Jonna Autio told Ilta-Sanom, that he had woken up at five in the morning to a grim sight. The stadium was in flames.
Recently, the family celebrated when Auti’s daughter’s team won their own division of the Helsinki Cup.
– Now at night it turned into sadness. After all, this is a shocking day for the football community.
In the afternoon, people gathered outside the stadium shouted congratulatory messages and shouts of encouragement: “The whole Ogeli supports you!”.
The stadium was strongly isolated even in the afternoon, because a gas cylinder was found there. The gas bottle has nothing to do with the fire itself, but the insulation was continued as a precaution.
According to the police, the fire investigation may take several days. A little before two o’clock in the afternoon, the site investigation had not yet fully begun.
There is still a possible danger of collapse in the building, and harmful fire gases have been created as a result of the fire.
“Everything went”
The fire that started in the morning was put out during the morning.
The Oulunkylä ice hall next to the stadium has also suffered damage. According to the rescue service, the fire partially spread to the ice rink. Its roof structures had to be dismantled during the extinguishing works. The interior of the hall suffers from smoke damage.
According to the rescue service, the danger was that the fire would have spread more widely to the hall as well. The spread of the fire was prevented at the last moment. According to the rescue service, it was only about 15 minutes.
Fortunately, no injuries were sustained, even though, for example, Gnistan’s coaching staff has sometimes spent the night at the stadium.
However, the fire is a heavy blow to the club’s operations. 1.5 million euros were invested in the conditions last year and this year in the club that was promoted to the Veikkausliiga.
– IF Gnistan has always been a strong community, and we believe that together we will survive this ordeal even stronger. It is clear that we need all possible support to ensure the continuity of the club after 100 years, club announced.
– Catastrophic situation. The stadium is burning from below, regretted the CEO of Veikkausliiga Timo Marjamaa.
In the capital region, stadiums suitable for Veikkausliiga are Töölö stadium, Olympiastadion and Myyrmäki stadium.
Changing the match schedule is always a big deal, and transfers easily cause a chain reaction. However, before the next game, Gnistan’s organization has a lot more to worry about.
– Everything went. All the stuff of the representative team. We don’t even have jerseys, Gnistan CEO Ilkka Vanala summed up the dire situation for STT.
On Saturday, Vanala was not yet able to say what schedule the representative team playing in the men’s football league can continue.
The fire has not yet been resolved with the club’s men’s representative team, but the team is holding an internal meeting about what happened in the afternoon. However, the players are shocked, Vanala stated.
– I am grateful that competing clubs and members have offered help. Yes, we will rise.
CEO of HJK Aki Riihilahti said earlier that the Töölö football stadium will be available to Gnistan at no cost until the end of the year.
The fire shocked the football community
Information about the fire at the Oulunkylä football stadium spread quickly among the domestic football community. Among other things, FC Inter from Turku, which plays in the men’s football league, told the message service X that the fire was shocking news. IFK Mariehamn and Seinäjoki SJK wished strength to the entire club community.
From other Helsinki clubs, Käpylän Pallo and PK-35 also commented on the fire in X and wished them luck.
Author who wrote football books Erkko Meri said that Gnistan has done a lot of work in recent years to develop the club community.
Sports reporter Jukka Rönkä described the incident as shocking.
– In the Mustapekka Areena fire, more (than) only wood, plastic seats and stadium structures were destroyed. Strength to the entire Gnistan family.
The fire was also noticed abroad, where the incident was reported by, among other things, a Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet and the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation SVT.
– In 1934, the Mustapekka arena was completed. But now the blue and yellow league club IF Gnistan has suffered a disaster, writes Aftonbladet.
The magazine reminds that the hundred-year-old Gnistan was initially a club of Swedish speakers.
The Swedish media reports that the incident was resolved without any injuries and so far no crime is suspected. The media quotes the club’s mornings announcement and the chairman of the board of the club Risto Murron comments For Iltalehti.
– A terrible crisis for the entire community. Now let’s start to find out what this means for us. I am shocked.
Deputy Mayor of Helsinki Paavo Arhinmäki (left) wrote in X that a great football culture has been created in northern Helsinki around the stadium.
– Last night, the stadium’s main stand was burnt to ashes. A huge blow to the club, tsemi Gnisu!
Arhinmäki commented to STT that he thinks it is clear that no more games will be played at the Oulunkylä stadium this league season.
He states that at this stage, on behalf of the city, it is not possible to say how the club can possibly be helped.
– Primarily, of course, the club first investigates the matter. Of course, the city of Helsinki always helps all clubs according to the situation, he commented.
Arhinmäki believes that North Helsinki’s football culture will recover from the stadium fire.
– The football culture in the region is strong. I believe that it will rise with this as well after the situation is resolved.