Police in Sweden have launched an investigation into a fire at a refugee center in the south of the capital, Stockholm.
A police patrol unit caught notice of the fire, which erupted during the early hours of Sunday, at the refugee center in Fagersjo.
There were no reported injuries but 37 of the asylum seekers in the center were evacuated to another shelter due to the damage to the building.
The night before the fire, what appeared to be an attempt at arson had been suspected when oil canisters were found left in an oven with the heat turned up. The center’s staff had dealt with that incident.
"We will now see if anybody in the area may have seen something," said Sven-Erik Olsson with the central dispatch unit at the Stockholm police department, who added, "The technical investigation of the scene will begin tomorrow."
Sweden took in a record 163,000 asylum seekers last year, which was the largest number among European countries relative to the population of the country.
Gradually, however, negative feelings about the refugees, prevalent in other parts of Europe, reached the Nordic country, prompting the government to impose tough restrictions on refugees, resulting in a sharp decline in the number of asylum seekers settled in Sweden.
Europe is facing a huge flow of refugees who are fleeing persecution and violence in conflict zones in North Africa and the Middle East, Syria in particular.
Many blame the West for the unprecedented exodus, saying its global policies, some open and others hidden, have led to perpetual wars in those regions.
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