Anni Eliisa Piesk jailed five years for Tammela apartment arson

The Pirkanmaa District Court sentenced 24-year-old Anni Eliisa Piesk to five years in prison for deliberately setting a fire in a first-floor studio on Kullervonkatu in Tampere's Tammela last September, a blaze that forced 43 residents to evacuate.

Court papers show Piesk had a key to the studio. Prosecutors say she piled clothing on the floor and ignited it in the early hours. The apartment's window and front door blew out, and flames spread to the upper floors both inside and outside.

Pirkanmaa Rescue Department fire chief Juha Toivonen told investigators residents would likely have died if they had tried to leave through the stairwell before crews evacuated the building.

Prosecutors had sought at least six and a half years; the defence argued for three. A psychiatric evaluation found Piesk criminally responsible at the time.

Piesk turned herself in to police, cooperated with investigators and apologised in court. No one suffered serious physical injuries, but the building suffered heavy fire and smoke damage. Several dozen residents are seeking a total of hundreds of thousands of euros in compensation. The verdict is not yet final.