In Alūksne, rescuers had to conduct an operation on the lake after strong winds carried a raft with two people away from the shore. The victims were quickly brought to safety.
On Monday afternoon in Alūksne, strong winds carried a raft with two people into the lake.
According to the State Fire and Rescue Service, rescuers had to use a boat to reach the individuals and bring them back to shore.
The operation took less than half an hour.
The incident occurred against the backdrop of increasing winds that have been felt in many regions of Latvia in recent days. Rescuers regularly remind that even on relatively small lakes, strong gusts can quickly carry a vessel away from the shore.
Homemade rafts and lightweight structures become especially dangerous, as they are difficult to control in side winds.
In addition to the incident in Alūksne, firefighters have had to respond to several other calls in the past 24 hours.
Smoke was reported in a production building on Bikernieku Street in Riga — a wooden pallet measuring three square meters was on fire on the first floor. Three people evacuated the building on their own before the rescuers arrived.
The State Fire and Rescue Service also responded to a fire in a residential building, fires caused by unattended food on the stove, garbage, and a construction trailer.
In total, the service received 38 calls in one day. Of these, 12 were related to fires, 23 to rescue operations, and three turned out to be false alarms.
Currently, rescuers are urging residents to be especially careful around water and to take weather conditions into account, as an increase in wind is expected in Latvia in the coming days.
