SHARE
COPY LINK

FIRE

Man held for setting his wife on fire

A man in Malmö in southern Sweden is suspected of having set his wife on fire following a domestic dispute stemming from her request for a divorce.

Man held for setting his wife on fire

The 38-year-old woman received serious burns in the incident, but her injuries are reportedly not life threatening.

“She has injuries from her midsection and upward and on the entire front of her body…both her her torso and arms. But her face is in pretty good shape,” police spokesperson Peter Martin told the local Skånska Dagbladet newspaper.

According to Martin, investigators believe the woman was drenched in a flammable liquid which was then ignited by her 53-year-old husband.

“The woman wanted a divorce but the man didn’t. He was said to be very controlling,” police spokesperson Anders Lindell told the Expressen newspaper.

The couple’s two children were also present in the apartment at the time, but were unharmed in the incident and have since been taken in by neighbours.

Police received a call shortly after noon on Sunday about a disturbance in a flat in the city’s Rosengård district.

A short time later, emergency services received a call about a fire at the same address.

When fire crews arrived they were met by a woman who had fled out of the apartment. Her clothes had been burned and she was taken by ambulance to Skåne University Hospital in Malmö.

“We heard there was a fire in the building, but when we got there we only found a little smoke in the apartment. A woman whose clothes had been burned ran out of the flat,” emergency services commander Mats Steer told Expressen.

The 53-year-old husband who was still in the apartment was overpowered by police and apprehended on suspicions of attempted murder with an alternative charge of aggravated assault.

The man was placed in arrest later in the evening and interrogated about the incident and denies committing any crime.

Another man was also taken to the police station for questioning, but only as a witness.

TT/The Local/dl

twitter.com/thelocalsweden

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

FIRE

Situation ‘unstable’ at Copenhagen’s old stock exchange after fire

Three days after a fire which ravaged Copenhagen's historic former stock exchange broke out, emergency services said Friday that the situation was "unstable" due to equipment issues and a strong breeze.

Situation 'unstable' at Copenhagen's old stock exchange after fire

In the morning, during work to dismantle the scaffolding surrounding the building, a crane’s cutters came loose for as of yet unknown reasons.

It is currently wedged between the scaffolding — put up for the renovation of the historic building that was ongoing — and what remains of the walls.

“It is affecting our efforts”, Tim Ole Simonsen, leader of the operation at the rescue services, told a press conference.

Coupled with the wind picking up, the incident, which has temporarily halted work on dismantling the scaffolding, has made the situation “unstable”.

“The wind is blowing harder and harder, and there are tarps over the scaffolding that can catch the wind,” Simonsen said.

He added that this increases the risks, in particular of further collapse of the burnt-out facade which started collapsing late Thursday afternoon.

Located close to the Christiansborg parliament and seat of government, the Borsen building was commissioned by King Christian IV and built between 1619 and 1640. It was the stock exchange until the 1970s.

The fire began Tuesday morning under the copper roof of the building, which was undergoing renovations ahead of its 400th anniversary.

The cause of the blaze was unknown and Copenhagen police said Wednesday that a major investigation had been launched.

SHOW COMMENTS