Three young people come forward and admit lighting Porvoo Cathedral fire

Repair work started at damaged church

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Police in Porvoo have released two of three people they arrested in connection with the fire Sunday night at the medieval Porvoo Cathedral.
      The two men and one woman between 18 and 20 years of age turned themselves in to the police on Monday evening.
      On Thursday, police at a hearing at Porvoo District Court asked that one of the three, a man, be remanded in custody. The other man and the woman, were released.
      The head of the police investigation, Chief Inspector Bengt Renlund, says that the three gave themselves up after the investigation had started pointing in their direction.
      All three are from the Porvoo area, and none have a criminal background. No motive has been found for the action. All three were intoxicated when the church caught fire.
      "There are no indications of Satan worship or other hostility toward the church", Renlund says.
      The suspects face charges of aggravated destruction of property which could bring a minimum of two years in prison.
      Renlund says that flammable liquids were used in setting the blaze.
     
At the church itself, repair work was getting underway on Wednesday.
      Boris Björkendahl, who manages real estate property for the Porvoo Parish, said that the restoration work will proceed in three phases.
      "Building a canvas canopy over the church will probably last about two weeks. Cleaning the area will be completed by the end of the week", he said.
      The medieval paintings of the vaulted ceiling have been covered to protect them from rain.
      Martti Jokinen, head architect of the Finnish National Board of Antiquities, says that the process of photographing, measuring, and drawing the remnants of the roof structures will begin today.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Cathedral fire: Police have "strong suspicions" against suspects (31.5.2006)
  Several suspects apprehended over arson of Porvoo Cathedral (30.5.2006)

Helsingin Sanomat