It was at half past seven on Christmas morning, in the middle of the sermon, that a fire started in the Rautjärvi church in South Karelia.
The parish priest Leena Haakana, who was not there herself, tells the news agency STT that the fire was discovered by the priest.
First he allegedly saw smoke coming in through the main entrance - then he saw flames.
At the same time, the fire alarm went off.
According to information to the newspaper Ilta-Sanomat, someone must have tried to tie two of the church doors with rope in connection with the fire.
- Fortunately, it was so loose that it was possible to push them up, says Kari Luumo, former vicar in the congregation and who was present during the service, to the newspaper.
About 30 people were said to have been inside the church and managed to escape before the building was engulfed in flames.
Investigated as gross sabotage
The police are tight-lipped about the details of the fire, but say they suspect foul play.
"The investigation into the case in Rautjärvi is still at an early stage, but the police will start a preliminary investigation into the fire," says Harri Horttanainen of the police in Southeast Finland in a press release.
The case is classified as gross sabotage, but according to the press release, this may change during the course of the investigation.
The wooden church was built in 1881 after the previous church, which stood on the exact same spot, burned down in 1872. It was one of the largest wooden churches in Finland with room for 1200 churchgoers.
- Right now there are only ruins left, everything has burned down, says Linda Wilen-Veijalainen who lives near the church to HBL.