Authorities in Lapland have confirmed that two people died in a fire that completely destroyed a hostel in the early hours of Tuesday.
Around 30 guests managed to escape the hostel on their own and police said that some were transported to Rovaniemi for medical checks.
Police said that one guest was still missing.
Rescue teams were called to the fire just after midnight early on Tuesday at the Silver Fox hostel in the village of Äkäslompolo. When the first unit arrived, the two-storey structure was fully engulfed in flames and had already started to collapse.
One of the people who lost their lives in the blaze was Finnish, but information about the second victim's nationality was not released.
According to police the guests were mainly tourists from Europe.
The hostel, which was totally destroyed in the fire, had 40 beds.
Police said investigations about what caused the fire as well as the two fatalities were underway. Otkes, the Safety Investigation Authority, will also open a probe into the blaze.
Authorities have asked eyewitnesses to submit any photos or video of the incident to police.
Blaze shocks visitors
A tourist visiting the area, Ulla Tiensuu from Mikkeli, said she was shocked by the tragedy and that the very cold temperatures made it particularly horrible.
Leena Dillström from Savonlinna said the first thing she thought about when she heard the news was what it would be like to wake up and go out into the snow wearing a nightgown to escape the fire.
"The hostel guests' situation was unimaginable, so shocking to wake up to a fire," Dillström told Yle.
Dillström added that she has started to wonder whether she should start keeping extra clothes on top of the bed for emergencies.
Matti Rutanen from Helsinki said that fires are always tragic, but in this case even more so because of the loss of life.
"What could be more tragic than to lose everything in a fire. And I am sure the incident will hit this village hard," Rutanen said.
The Saint Lawrence chapel (Pyhän Laurin kappeli) in Äkäslompolo has started offering crisis support services to help people cope after the tragedy.
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