Minors torching ghost schools

Photo: Martin Ilustrumm

The former schoolhouse at Õismäe Road 130, Tallinn is surrounded by large blocks of flats, a kindergarten and a sports ground where children are playing a good game of football.  

Other than sports, however, the young ones are drawn as by a magnet to the deserted schoolhouse nearby – easy to enter as the windows are broken and the entrance to the basement has no door.

Perhaps for that reason, during the weekend rescuers went four times to put fires out in the building. The first time they were called, trash was burning in the assembly hall, then the furniture. On the third occasion, the person calling told the Alarm Centre some boys were lighting a bonfire on the roof.

Arriving at the scene, the rescuers handed two boys over to police officers. According to North Prefecture Southern Police Department head Tarvo Ingerainen, there is no basis at the moment to link the lads with the fire. «Concerning one of them, however, a minor, we initiated a misdemeanour procedure as he stands suspected in use of drugs,» he said.

That was not to be the end of the fires: just a couple of hours later, the rescuers were back in the schoolhouse again. This time, it was a bonfire in the hall that needed putting out.

Yesterday, they were fixing the fences which should make the house vandalism-proof. Windows and doors were being closed, barriers erected.

«A crook will climb in, what’s the difference,» said the young man doing the work – the veneer and the fence are just temporary measures. To this, Haabersti city district elder Marek Jürgenson agreed.

«At the moment, Haabersti city district government is not applying to have the building demolished, as an idea has surfaced to have Õismäe Road 130 renovated and used as social, cultural and free time centre. Should the plan be delayed and the building become dangerous for people, we will apply for demolition,» said Mr Jürgenson.

Tiina Randla, dwelling in an apartment block across the yard, says it is dangerous to live in the neighbourhood of the former schoolhouse. «We’ve seen the brats doing their things here,» said she. In the opinion of Ms Randla, it is a youth gang busy serial-torching the house. Meanwhile, she fails to understand why the house is left to deteriorate like that.

«It used to be a totally functioning building, with new windows. Had it found new use at once, there’d be no problems. Now it’s totally plundered,» she bemoaned the sad situation.

As far as she can remember, fires in the building have been put out on almost 20 occasions. Thus she’d like to know which is cheaper – to hire security or keep coming to douse the flames.

In addition to Õismäe Road 130, the week-end also troubled the rescuers regarding the one-time school house at Akadeemia Road 30. On Saturday, at noon, the rescuers found an office in flames on 3^rd floor, and the hall and roof in another wing – totalling 900 square metres. The same building triggered another call late on Sunday night, with rubbish burning in the attic. 

The building is also in the midst of apartment houses and does trouble the people. «I think the city district should have security in place, let the officials sit there then,» said Maie-Anne Kuuskma who lives close by. She thinks the municipal police would suit just fine.

According to her, a sports complex with a swimming pool was once planned in the building, but now it’s in the hands of arsonists. «Just keeps burning, nothing’s being done. But all the while they keep opening new buildings in the city,» said the lady, describing how the city tends to divert the attention.

According to the police chief Tarvo Ingerainen, they have had many a talk with the local powers.  

«As these two schoolhouses are not without owners, we expect the owner to demolish them, renovate them or guarantee that strangers cannot enter,» said Mr Ingerainen.

Police asks all who see kids or grown-ups hanging in or around the forsaken schoolhouses to call 110 as fast as possible, remembering the persons’ appearance as specifically as they can.

Definitely, all parents suspecting their children may be frequenting the abandoned buildings are expected to have a serious talk with offspring, explaining the ills and hazards of such behaviour.