Tensta is Burning

Our Swedish correspondent CB just sent a translation of an article from Aftonbladet. He included this preface:

Now it’s burning in Tensta. It was probably just a matter of time before this had to happen.

The question is whether this is the beginning of the same pattern of events as we have seen in so many other cities in Sweden lately. Last weekend there were several fires in an immigrant suburb in south of Stockholm, but it died down afterwards in that area. And this isn’t the first time cars and trucks have lit up Tensta at night.

But will it continue, as in Gothenburg and Uppsala? That remains to be seen. We’ll find out in a week or two.

And now the translated article:

Waited two hours — for the fire brigade

(Photo caption: Several Tensta fires — Late yesterday evening fires started at several locations in the Stockholm suburb Tensta. One truck was totally destroyed before the fire brigade arrived. “If it happened at Östermalm [one of the rich areas in central Stockholm] they would come at once”, says an upset Tensta resident.)

The truck was totally burned out

The residents of Tensta had to wait for two hours before the fire brigade came and extinguished a burning car.

“If it happened at Östermalm they would come at once,” says one upset Tensta resident.

Late last night fires started at several locations in the Stockholm suburb Tensta.

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Many called in fire alarms, but outside Tensta Art hall a truck was totally burned out before the fire brigade arrived at the location.

“Threw rocks”

“It burned for two hours before the fire-brigade came here. I was afraid that the Art Hall was going to catch fire,” says Ismet Kilincalp, the recreation leader at Hjulstaskolan, who came quickly to the scene to disperse all the curious.

According to the police, youths had thrown rocks, and they wanted to secure the area before the fire brigade went in.

“It’s terrible, of course, but you can’t just drive up when they throw stones,” says Fredrik Löfgren, field officer of the subway police.

“We are not afraid”

Mats Söderberg, the fire chief at Kista [nearby suburb] fire department, understands that many are upset over that delay in the response.

“Of course, I would feel the same way. We are not afraid to come in here, we have good relations with the people living here,” he says.

Ismet Kilincalp thinks the police exaggerate.

“It is small children who want attention who started the fires. But I haven’t seen anybody throw stones,” he says.

— Malin Axelsson