A crisis situation has developed in one of the nine-story buildings in Riga.
Residents who went out into the stairwell began to choke on smoke and were forced to seek refuge in fresh air or return back to their apartments, reports the show Degpunktā (TV3).
In the morning in Purvciems, on Varaviknes Gatve 14, there was heavy smoke in a nine-story building. A fire broke out in the garbage container room on the first floor. When firefighters were already working at the scene, the show Degpunktā met an employee of "Rīgas namu pārvaldnieks".
She called her colleagues and reported the crisis situation. Two versions of the cause of the fire are currently being considered — either sparks from welding the garbage chute hatches ignited the container, or someone threw a cigarette butt or another burning object into the shaft.
The employee of "Rīgas namu pārvaldnieks" explained that the garbage chutes were being welded shut to prevent anyone from throwing anything else in.
Residents on the ninth floor, who felt the smoke the most, confirm — on that day a welder was working in the building and, according to them, acted rather carelessly. In the apartment of Andris and Anita, who live on the ninth floor, the smoke detector went off. "We felt that it was serious!" — says Anita.
Andris recounted that he met the welder: "I went down to him and asked: what are you doing? He replied: welding. I said: we have smoke upstairs. He: I don’t believe it."
After the flames and smoldering spots were completely extinguished, the rescue operation moved into a new phase. Firefighters set up a fan to ventilate the premises. Residents gathered outside during this time, ready to return home soon.
When the premises were sufficiently ventilated, firefighters reported on the progress of their work.
"A garbage container caught fire in the building. This is a major problem that has been ongoing since the communist era, when buildings were equipped with garbage chutes with vertical shafts spanning several floors. As a result, the container caught fire, causing smoke in the stairwell, and it was difficult for people to evacuate; however, there was no smoke in the apartments," explained the commander of the 6th division of the Riga Regional State Fire and Rescue Service, Viesturs Vulans.
The police will further investigate whether the damage was significant enough to initiate a criminal case. As for the injured — no one sought medical assistance at the scene.
