Arson attacks against schools and kindergartens have been a major problem in Sweden for many years. On the night of Sunday, a preschool in the district of Bandhagen in southern Stockholm was completely damaged by fire.
“You let it burn down,” says Magnus Bengtsson, chief of the rescue service. The preschool was on fire and did not allow itself to be saved. “Ten units on site are working to limit the spread to the scrub and forest next to the preschool,” says Bengtsson.
The roof has collapsed, other buildings in the area do not appear to be threatened by the fire. No people have been injured.
“We have started a preliminary investigation into arson,” says Mikael Pettersson at the police.
School fires have become a growing problem in Norwegian cities such as Oslo. In Drammen, there is talk of introducing free lunch at schools to discourage arson.