A short circuit in the sauna stove caused a fire in one of the apartments in Vecmilgravis. Two residents were rescued and taken to the hospital, but the apartment was burned and severely damaged. What happened raises questions about whether the sauna installation in the apartment was legal and safe, reports the program Degpunktā (TV3).
The windows of the house in Vecmilgravis were illuminated by the flashing lights of emergency services late at night. A strong fire broke out in one of the apartments across the street.
“Smoke appeared in my apartment, it was coming right through the floor. Well, I called the rescue service — they told me that I needed to evacuate urgently. We all went outside, waiting for the firefighters, police, and ambulance to arrive,” recalls Elena.
Meanwhile, the residents of the apartment — a boy and his grandmother — were asleep during the fire and only woke up when the heat became unbearable. In shock and having inhaled smoke, they were unable to leave the apartment on their own — both were screaming for help, and rescuers had to intervene. They were evacuated using a fire ladder. Before the arrival of the State Fire and Rescue Service (GPSS), 18 people were evacuated. There was no smoke detector installed in the apartment, which is why the fire was noticed too late.
Fortunately, both residents survived and are currently receiving treatment in the hospital. The next day, a persistent smell of burnt material lingered in the building, and the only way to reach the burned apartment was by following that smell. Journalists from the program Degpunktā met a man who was restoring the plumbing; he shared his version of what happened.
In his opinion, the cause was a fire in the sauna set up in the apartment. During the conversation, a relative of the rescued residents joined the journalists, coming to see what was left of the apartment. She is looking for phones of her relatives that were left behind in the panic of the night.
The woman declined to be interviewed but added that the cause of the fire is unclear to her since the sauna was set up legally — with full approval from the architect and construction authorities. This is also confirmed by the Riga City Council: the project was approved by the city, and the sauna itself was built three years ago. After the approval, all further implementation fell on the shoulders of the builders and the apartment owner.
“The construction work, materials used, and installed equipment are the responsibility of the construction specialist hired by the builder. The operation and safety are the responsibility of the apartment owner,” explains the Riga City Development Department.
However, neighbor Elena believes that the issue is not whether the sauna was built and used correctly:
“A sauna, of course, in an ordinary residential apartment — probably not a very good idea. I don’t know. The building is old, and in my opinion, the wiring is in terrible condition, and a short circuit can happen at any moment and in any apartment.”
Currently, the State Police is conducting an in-depth investigation into the legality of the sauna installation. The apartment owner and state institutions will be required to provide all necessary documents and permits to establish the causes of the fire.
