Church fire was swarm of gnats

Firemen from three stations rushed to a church in central Jönköping in Monday to put out what at first appeared to be a fire. But on closer inspection the smoke billowing from the steeple of Sofia church turned out in fact a swarm of gnats.

Published: 27 May 2008 09:00 CEST

Rescue services arriving at the church in the southern Swedish town were initially of the opinion that the reports were accurate.

“When we got there we too could see that there was black smoke pouring out of the top of the steeple,” fire engineer Fredric Jonsson told TT.

“It looked really serious. But my fire chief colleague pulled out a pair of binoculars and was able to see that it was probably something other than smoke,” he added.

To be on the safe side, the rescue workers requisitioned a mobile crane in order to examine more closely the 73 metre steeple. Eventually all fears of a fire in the 120-year-old neo-Gothic church were brushed aside

“We believe it was actually a large swarm of gnats,” he added.