Burning household items and the floor in one of the houses in Jelgava caused damage to several local residents – eight people were left homeless, and two were injured in the fire. What do neighbors say about the residents and what assistance is the city of Jelgava offering?
On Thursday, the day and evening were spent by Jelgava firefighters at an apartment building on Ausēkla Street, extinguishing flames and rescuing residents, reports the Degpunktā program (TV3). Household items and the flooring between floors burned over an area of 60 square meters. Two people were evacuated from the building.
The fire victims are receiving treatment in medical facilities – one is in Jelgava Hospital, the other in the State Burn Center in Riga. The destroyed building is currently guarded by municipal police to prevent unauthorized access.
At the moment, it is impossible to pass by the house — the roadway is blocked by charred belongings. Including the two victims, eight people were left homeless on Thursday. Fortunately, the other residents were not on the premises at the time of the fire. The Jelgava City Council is ready to provide all necessary assistance.
An extraordinary meeting is planned at the Jelgava City Council to make a decision on supporting the victims.
Some apartments are privately owned, while others belong to the municipality. The fire broke out in the home of an elderly man, who also became one of the victims. The cause of the fire is still being investigated by law enforcement, but this resident is known in the neighborhood as a quiet neighbor. However, the inhabitants of the municipal apartments have been more interesting in recent years.
"Well, down there were these social apartments, where they placed those who were released from prison. They were allocated housing there. They seemed to be under police supervision because there were drug addicts downstairs," says a local resident.
"There were 'spots', they sold drugs and alcohol — all sorts of things happened," says another resident of the area.
Recently, the inhabitants of the social apartments have behaved more calmly and have not caused problems, locals claim.
Now various versions are being put forward in the area regarding the cause of the fire — possibly a problem with the stove's kindling, or maybe an unextinguished cigarette. Although the locals are not surprised by what happened.
"This house has... it has burned eight times, and finally it burned down. I can only say – thank God everyone is alive. That's all," expresses the opinion of a local resident.
One of the families living in the house has already received assistance from the municipality — temporary housing, social assistance, and crisis benefits have been provided. The city also urges the other residents of the house to contact the Jelgava Social Affairs Department to receive everything necessary to cope with the aftermath of the tragedy.
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