A fully developed fire broke out in an apartment in central Eksjö on Sunday evening, leading to the evacuation of two multi-family houses due to heavy smoke. Around 20 people were cared for at the City Hotel by the Red Cross, with no injuries reported. Fire services worked through the night to extinguish the blaze.
The alarm for the fire came in to SOS at 8:14 PM on Sunday evening, December 28. The blaze had fully developed in an apartment on the second floor of a multi-family house on Västerlånggatan in Eksjö's old town. Alexander Kristensen, a resident of one of the affected buildings, discovered the fire first. He noticed a strange glow in a window of the neighboring property and soot on the panes. With a neighbor, he evacuated all residents and called SOS.
Fire services, police, and ambulance were dispatched to the scene with a large force. Smoke development was extensive, spreading to adjacent properties and requiring the evacuation of another building. Residents from both structures gathered at the City Hotel in Eksjö, where the Red Cross provided care.
Rescue leader Micael Carlsson stated at 10:15 PM that the fire was still active in the apartment and that a major effort would continue through the night. At 11:30 PM, SOS reported personnel changes and that the operation was ongoing. An SOS operator described it as a troublesome fire with heavy smoke, but no one was injured—only material damage occurred.
Just before 9:00 PM, visible flames were extinguished, but by midnight, work continued from outside due to smoke and fire in the structure. The fire service's lead operator said: 'We will be here all night.' Police, represented by Gustav Belin, have no criminal classification but plan to interview those involved and investigate the cause. The origin of the fire remains unclear.
