Football stadium gutted in fire in Helsinki

A devastating fire badly damaged a football stadium at Oulunkylä in Helsinki early Saturday morning, police said.

The fire broke out at about 4:00 am at the stadium, which houses to Helsinki Veikkausliiga club IF Gnistan and engulfed the main stand of the stadium and dressing rooms of the club.

The fire immediately spread to the nearby area and burnt the ice hall's roof.

Responding to an alarm, several firefighting units and police rushed to the spot and tried to bring the fire under control.

The firefighters doused the fire after an operation for several hours.

No human casualty, however, was reported in the fire.

The origin of the fire could not be known immediately but rescue service people and police are investigating into the incident to find out the reason behind it.

At the preliminarily stage police did not suspect any crime link to the incident but also did not rule out the possibility of an arson.