HELSINKI: Five members of a Somali family were killed in a suspected arson attack on their apartment bui­­­­l­ding early on Tuesday in Vantaa north of Helsinki, whi­­le a sixth family member, an infant, survived, police said.

Police said the family did not appear to have been targeted in the fire and have ruled out racism as a motive.

A 70-year-old man who lived in the building has been arrested suspected of starting the blaze, and was to be questioned on Tuesday.

“Five deceased people were found in the staircase at around 6:30am (0430 GMT), of whom two were adults and three underage children. In addition, an infant has been taken into hospital care,” police inspector Mikael Backlund told reporters. The suspect’s motive was not immediately known.

“The victims do not seem to have been the targets of the suspected deed any more than any other person in the building,” investigator Sanna Rentola said.

The two deceased adults were aged in their 30s and 40s, while the children were three, six and eight years old, she said.

The family’s apartment was located on an upper floor, and they appeared to have become trapped in the stairwell due to “extremely heavy” smoke, Backlund said.

Published in Dawn, March 4, 2026