Probably launching «career» with outdoor flower baskets, the pyromaniac of Paide is branding his name into Estonian serial arsonist history.
The blazing trails of a Paide pyromaniac
2nd December 2013, 14:41
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Pyromania is a sickness probably plaguing the person, think experts, who started out at Paide and worked his way to hay barns around town.
Should all unexplained arsons in and around Paide, in recent history, fall unto the account of one guy, he would be the top act of these past decades.
On a cloudy Wednesday afternoon, me and photographer start off in his footsteps, at an abandoned wooden house near the Paide Culture Centre, set ablaze on August 25th, this year. In the small town at the heart of Estonia, many now feel Sherlock-at-heart. A man puffing a cigarette at the culture centre corner, for instance, is thinking of a weak-witted youth in his native village of Tarbja, also a host of a fire.
The Tarbja flames lit right after Paide; less than an hour later the same night, rescue centre was informed of a burning barn 11 kilometres off, at Röa village. The next night, it was Pala village, farther off; then, on November 17th, the pyromaniac moved down the road to Türi-Alliku, winding up at Jändja where, last Wednesday, a thousand-some rolls of hay burned to cinders. All in all, in and near Paide from August 25th to 27th four buildings were set aflame; on November 17th and 27th, fire struck two big barns filled with hay.
The list might be continued. This July, somebody repeatedly attempted to set fire to a dwelling house in Paide, and burned two garden houses.
In October last year, a scoundrel tried to ignite a bed and rigs in an old abandoned garden shack. On October 25th 2012, an armchair was on fire at a two storey wooden house in Paide; in the same night, a shed was in flames, also in Paide. In July of 2011, Paide featured two burning wood-sheds. In the night of June 27th, same year, a shed was kindled downtown, then a warehouse full of timber; thereafter, it was attempted to set fire, from outside, to a dwelling house window frame and outside wall. On June 23rd, 2011, another vacant house burned in Paide.
Something weird with fire, in Paide...
According to Janar Kärner, head of Järva County rescue management, they have truly had to do battle with a wave of unexplainable fires which started as early as 2011.
«Earlier, there was such a wave in the Koigi region, too,» said he. In September 2011, Antti Kõivopuu, born in 1988 and with earlier criminal record, was sentenced for setting fire to a shed belonging to Koigi commune government. Koigi is less than 18 kilometres from Paide. According to Mr Kärner, there actually were more arsons around Koigi.
Delving deeper into history, turns out that waves of arson in Paide date back to the summer of 2008, when the town was pestered by a hanging-flower-basket-maniac i.e. a fellow who spent time, at nights, setting these aflame one after another. Starting with flower baskets and ending up with vast sheds – sounds logical, as pointing to increase of appetite.
The Paide pyromaniac desires not to kill – all he wants is enjoy the fires to the max. Therefore, in his adventures, he had to be lead from flower baskets (in town) to hay barns in the countryside, these offering flames much mightier.
In the old house at Tarbja village, hay wasn’t found – just some wood and metal. The rugs at Röa village were a step forwards. At Pala village, the hay in the loft was quite an advancement. Thereafter, the vast barns filled with hay at Türi-Alliku and Jändja, in November, that was some explosion! Jändja being 28 kilometres from Paide indicates at an auto probably possessed by the pyromaniac.
By each arson, the maniac moved farther away from Paide and seemed to become more cautious: the Jändja barns that burned last Wednesday was at a site totally secluded. The Paide pyromaniac is not a sloppy fellow, it seems – as a rule, the alarm centre is alerted between 3 and 4 am, when people’s sleep is deepest.
With each arson, the damage done to farmers increases; at that, the only multiple sufferer is TAC-Ettevõtted, an agricultural company active in Türi-Alliku. Namely, to this company belong the Pala shed with 60 tonnes of hay (set aflame on August 27th) and the vast hay barn at Türi-Alliku with 120 tonnes of hay lost on November 17th.
«We’ll try and feed the animals with dry silage now, and we do have a couple of hundred rolls of hay also,» said the manager Olev Aavik. «Probably, we will have to buy extra hay. A year ago I bought hay from the very Vahur Kupper whose barn burned tonight (early hours, this Wednesday – edit).»
On the possible arsonist, Mr Aavik has heard all kinds of rumours, none can be taken too serious. Among others: after the fire-fighters arrived, a grey BMW was standing nearby for a long while.
The Jändja barn, however, held about 250 tonnes of hay, lion’s share belonging to Vahur Kupper – who must now also find a way of feeding his animals through the winter. Should the pyromaniac keep growing in his appetites, Järva County might be facing a serious fodder shortage.
According to Väätsa Agro board member Lenno Link, after the Röa shed arson on August 26th the company hired a 12-member security. «We set them to probable targets, while knowing we would not be able to prevent the arsons. Rather, we wanted to catch him red-handed – with zero success,» says Mr Link.
According to Mr Link, the local farmers are badly troubled. «One get’s to thinking: which one will be next. We do have plenty of those [left] ...» said he.
Mr Link said village folks have seen their share of suspicious characters. «They think it’s this car, then the next. I don’t know what to think, anymore,» said the farmer.
As confirmed by Mr Link, the pyromaniac has indeed been active, thus far, in a small area around Paide. «Maybe this is the area he knows best,» thinks Mr Link. «In an unknown area one must spy and search around first.»
Probably a Paide guy, thinks the man: «Got fed up with the sheds at Paide... not fun enough.»