Police car lights illuminated Hotel JoronjÀlki's yard on All Saints' Day evening. An explosion had occurred earlier that day, claiming two lives.
Authorities cordoned off the entire hotel grounds with blue-white and red-yellow tape. The explosion site remains visible from the road, where what appears to be a delivery vanâor its remainsâcan be seen in the dim light.
Hotel owner Auvo Puurtinen spent the evening at his home in Juva. Police provided him transportation after his own car sustained damage in the blast.
Puurtinen revealed he left the hotel hours before the explosion to attend his grandchild's birthday party with his wife. He had left one staff member on duty.
"I was in WhatsApp contact with the person on duty," Puurtinen recounted. "They reported hearing what sounded like gunshots. But it wasn't a gunâit was an explosion."
The birthday celebration was cut short as Puurtinen hitched a ride back to the hotel. Initially, he underestimated the situation's severity.
"I thought it was just a minor incident," he admitted. "But it was major. When I started examining things inside, I realized the pressure waves had been tremendously powerful."
Police confirmed recovering two bodies from the fire scene. Puurtinen understands at least one victim had been staying at the hotel while working at a nearby construction site.
About two to three hours after the explosion, Puurtinen received a troubling phone call from a supervisor.
"The supervisor called saying they couldn't reach one of their workers," Puurtinen explained. "Two men were supposed to be at the work site."
The supervisor mentioned the delivery van contained some type of gas, though Puurtinen couldn't specify what kind.
The hotel had been nearly full that Saturday, with nine people inside during the explosion. Fortunately, no guests or the owner were in the yard when the blast occurred.
"On good weather days, there are usually about ten people outside smoking or doing other things," Puurtinen noted. "I often work on cars in that yard too."
Police have arranged temporary accommodation for approximately nine people while the investigation continues at the hotel.
The incident left Puurtinen visibly shaken. "I just measured my blood pressure," he shared. "This situation raised it dramatically. The spike was so sharp it frightened me, even though I wasn't fully aware of it happening."
The timing proved tragically fortunateâhad the explosion occurred during typical outdoor activity hours, the casualties could have been much higher given the hotel's busy yard.