A powerful explosion at Hotel Joronjälki in Joroinen, Finland killed two people on Saturday. The blast shook buildings and rattled windows across the town center.
Local residents reported feeling the explosion up to two kilometers away. The force was strong enough to make floors vibrate in nearby homes.
Police confirmed a vehicle in the hotel parking lot exploded violently. The fire spread to the entrance canopy but did not reach the main hotel building.
Taxi driver Janne Matikainen described hearing a loud bang. "The floors were shaking," he said while transporting hotel residents to emergency accommodation.
Witness Väinö Suomalainen showed security camera footage of thick black smoke rising high above the neighborhood. "This is a quiet village where everyone knows each other," he noted, expressing surprise at such an incident occurring in the community.
One local woman described the impact from two kilometers away. "It shook all the way to our house," she said, adding that her son-in-law's car jumped forward from the blast force while he was starting it.
Residents immediately raised concerns about gas cylinder safety. The incident brought to mind a similar explosion in Helsinki's Mellunkylä district last October involving gas cylinders in a van.
Couple Mikko Autio and Henna Reijonen felt the blast while in their apartment building half a kilometer away. "The building shook even though we live in a concrete apartment block," Autio said, noting the pressure wave indicated an explosion.
They drove past the scene shortly after the incident and saw flames and heavy black smoke. Emergency services had not yet arrived, but people had gathered at the location.
Autio questioned whether gas cylinders might be involved and called for better regulation. "Should you park a van full of gas cylinders in a hotel parking lot? What if this happened in a parking garage?"
Police have cordoned off the explosion area and continue their investigation. The burned remains of the vehicle remained visible at the scene through Saturday evening.
The explosion highlights ongoing safety concerns about gas cylinder storage and transportation in residential areas. This incident in a typically peaceful Finnish town shows how quickly routine situations can turn tragic.