“It will be a huge challenge before our winter week,” says Vasaloppet’s Sports Director, Tommy Höglund, to Sweden’s Radio Dalarna.

During the night, an alarm went off about a heavy fire in Vasaloppet’s central warehouse at the ski stadium in Mora, Sweden. Vasaloppet’s Sports Director, Tommy Höglund, lives near the ski stadium and was woken up by the emergency services during the night:

“I live very close, so I was there in just a few minutes. When I got there, the building was completely engulfed in flames,” says Höglund to Sweden’s Radio Dalarna.

“In the warehouse were tools, machines, fences, blueberry soup, scooters, and barriers. Basically, all the apparatus that we use in our preparations.”

On Friday morning, Vasaloppet’s organization sat in discussions to structure the upcoming work.

“Of course, we will buy new equipment, and there will be insurance matters. But there is no doubt it will be a huge challenge, especially before our winter week,” says Höglund to Sweden’s Radio Dalarna.

The incident is being investigated as arson, a criminal act of deliberately setting fire to property.