In the Riga neighborhood of Ilguciems, an SUV Maserati parked in the courtyard of an apartment building caught fire in the evening. Residents noticed smoke coming from the vehicle, and firefighters had to battle the flames for almost an hour and a half.
In Ilguciems, a Maserati car caught fire in the courtyard of a residential building on Spilves Street. This was reported by the show Degpunktā (TV3).
According to the residents of the building, smoke first came from the parked car, and then a fire broke out.
The burned SUV remained under a lilac bush with broken windows and a completely charred interior after the fire was extinguished. Fortunately, other nearby vehicles were not damaged.
Residents of the fourteen-story building reported that firefighters and police arrived quickly at the scene.
"There was a short circuit or something like that. They called the police and firefighters, and they put it all out," said a local resident.
According to her, work at the scene lasted about an hour and a half. During the firefighting, rescuers had to break the car's windows to access the source of the fire and douse the flames with water.
The residents believe that it is likely not arson but a technical malfunction.
"I highly doubt it was arson because it was burning from the inside," noted one of the witnesses.
Nevertheless, the police have initiated a criminal case and are investigating the exact causes of the incident.
Car fires occur regularly in Latvia — rescuers respond to such calls almost daily.
The causes of fires are most often technical malfunctions, short circuits, problems with wiring, or fuel systems.
The fire spreads particularly quickly in modern cars with a large number of plastic parts and electronics.
In the case of the Maserati, the damage to the owner could be significant if the car was not insured under comprehensive coverage.
The fire in Ilguciems once again demonstrated how quickly even an expensive car can turn into a pile of charred metal — right in the courtyard of a residential building.
