Candle factory destroyed by fire in Salo

A candle factory in Salo, southern Finland, caught fire on Friday morning. The fierce blaze destroyed the factory, and generated toxic smoke, which forced hundreds of residents to be evacuated, local media reported.

The fire has burned down about 5,000 square meters of production and office spaces, Mika Kontio, director of Southwest Finland Rescue Department, told Finnish national broadcaster Yle.

Dense smoke spread quickly and lasted for a long time as about 200 tons of paraffin got burned in the building, according to the rescue department.

"The fire was awful... I live alone and spent the night alone, so I felt very fearful," an eyewitness was quoted by Yle as saying.

CEO of the candle company Mikko Linnamaki told a Finnish language newspaper Helsingin Sanomat the situation was bad. "It looks a bit like the factory was completely destroyed," Linnamaki was cited as saying.

The fire chief told the newspaper that the spread of fire to the warehouse, in which a lot of ready-made products were stored, was blocked. The warehouse occupies about 4,000 square meters.

No casualties are reported. The post-fire extinguishing work is continuing, and the cause of the fire remains unknown.

The candle company Kynttila-Tuote Oy, which produces indoor and outdoor candles, started operations in Salo in 1966. The total area of the company's facilities is nearly 10,000 square meters, including office, production and storage spaces.