Motorhome catches fire in Kotka, one injured

Juha Saarinen and Sannamari Sjöman-Saarinen from Tammela have purchased a Carthago S-Plus 64 motorhome costing nearly 300,000 euros. Only 5–10 such vehicles are sold new in Finland each year. The owners note that maintenance involves hidden costs: insurance runs 1,500–2,000 euros per year, vehicle tax is 1,700 euros, and a 25-day trip to Germany cost 3,500–4,000 euros. The motorhome requires a C1 driving licence and parking space, which is scarce in Finland.

A caravan burned to the ground on Friday afternoon at a tourist area in Toikkala, Valkeala. The fire, which started on the shore of Lake Rapojärvi, completely destroyed the caravan before firefighters arrived. A neighboring caravan and nearby trees suffered heat damage. No other property damage or injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is unknown; the alarm was raised at 2:12 p.m.

In Mikkeli, many motorhome and caravan owners prefer to spend the night not at campsites but at the free harbour parking area or in so-called bush parks. On a Tuesday in July, the 24-hour harbour parking was nearly full.

On a stretch between Tervola and Keminmaa, a motorhome driver ignored a no-overtaking zone and pulled alongside a truck. Truck driver Jesse said he barely had time to swerve. The incident was captured on video by a witness.

A 47-year-old man in Oulu, Finland, has been sentenced to prison for stealing a motorhome worth over €50,000. In late October–early November 2023, he broke into a commercial premises, stole property and the motorhome keys, then drove the vehicle away, damaging it and crashing through a fence. He later drove the motorhome into a ditch, rendering it a total loss.

The Western Uusimaa police are searching for a missing man, approximately 70 years old, who left his home in Vihti, Selki, on Thursday 23 July at around 9:45 a.m. in a white Hymer motorhome with license plate HCZ-602. The man has short light-brown hair and glasses and may be traveling by motorhome or other means. Anyone with sightings of the man or the vehicle is asked to call the emergency number 112.