"Following the fire, we conducted a thorough examination led by Professor Emeritus Karl Õiger, which revealed that the damages were greater than anticipated," head of the song festival grounds, Urmo Saaroja, said.

"According to the expert advice, the wooden surface of the sound screen has fire damage covering an area of more than 150 sq. m, and to restore things to their pre-fire condition, the roofing, roof rails, underlay, rafters and three-layer wooden facade must be removed and replaced. Load bearing structures had fortunately not been damaged, he added.

Aruna Ehitus, the firm tasked with the refurbishment, said that the work will prove difficult. "It is not a regular construction job; complex solutions have been used in the construction of the stage and this must be taken into account in the restoration."

A 27-year-old was taken into custody early last month, after security footage revealed he had allegedly started the blaze on the night of September 29, by setting fire to a garbage facility. The assailant, who was found at the scene by arriving fire crews and claimed he had been trying to extinguish the conflagration, had had to be hospitalized with burns following the incident.

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