Vaasa apartment explosion caused by illegal alcohol production

An explosion ripped through the top‑floor flat of a three‑storey apartment building on Sala‑ampujankatu in Vaasa shortly after midnight on 4 August. Police technical investigations concluded that the blast was triggered by ethanol vapour that had accumulated while the resident was illegally distilling alcohol in the bathroom‑laundry area. The vapour ignited, causing a fire that was quickly extinguished.

The resident suffered serious, non‑life‑threatening burns and was taken to hospital. No other occupants were injured, but the pressure wave broke windows in the stairwell and damaged eleven other apartments. About twenty people from eighteen units were evacuated, most of whom returned home later that night. Police are treating the case as a public‑danger offence and an alcohol‑related crime, with criminal commissioner John Forslund leading the investigation.