Boy Smuggled in a Lighter and Set Fire to Mattress at Stuðlar Facility

A boy held at Iceland’s Stuðlar emergency placement facility smuggled in a lighter and set fire to a mattress in a room on a secure corridor in mid-August. Staff saw the incident on surveillance cameras and put out the fire before it could spread.

The incident came less than two years after a 17-year-old boy died in a fire at the same facility in October 2024. A staff member also suffered serious injuries in that fire. Police spent 20 months investigating the case, which has now been sent to the prosecution division for consideration of charges.

The Housing and Construction Authority, known as HMS, found serious deficiencies in the building’s fire protection, its operation and its supervision. Its report said the death could have been prevented if the fire-safety systems had matched the design.

The extension housing the emergency unit was completely destroyed in the earlier fire. It partially reopened after renovations in April last year, but officials did not issue temporary permission to use the building with interim safety measures until the following spring. Those measures included increased staffing.

The building still lacks safety and final inspection certificates because its fire-compartment doors do not conform to the design documents. The building inspector nevertheless allowed temporary use. Iceland’s ombudsman for children has demanded further explanations, saying authorities must clearly establish how children deprived of their freedom are being kept safe at Stuðlar.

The facility now uses different mattresses, specially designed to slow the spread of fire. The latest incident showed that the new mattresses could still be ignited.