Firefighters battled the flames throughout the night that engulfed the preschool educational institution in Loya, Saulkrasti region. The destruction is significant, and the kindergarten is temporarily closing. This undoubtedly creates difficulties for both the staff and the parents, as it is the only kindergarten in the village, and while it is being restored, everyone will have to adapt, reports the show Degpunktā (TV3).
The fire was extinguished only by seven in the morning, but by ten, the staff of the institution and the parents of the little students were already working on the territory of the kindergarten. Not a minute is wasted — the premises need to be cleared of burned items as soon as possible to proceed to the next steps.
“I want to thank all the parents. Everyone wrote, participated. Thanks to my team, who were ready to come at night and help. I stood here yesterday and realized that we were powerless — the fire was consuming everything,” said the head of the kindergarten "Bitīte" Daiga Kuncherova.
Part of the building was destroyed, but fortunately, the flames did not spread to the other side. Significant forces of rescuers were called for assistance, including volunteer firefighters. Since there were no hydrants nearby, there were initial difficulties with water supply.
“At the scene, the roof, attic, and stairs of the two-story building were on fire. The fire was also extinguished by volunteer firefighters from Krimulda and Inčukalns,” reported the commander of the Saulkrasti branch of the State Fire and Rescue Service Ivo Graus.
Currently, the preschool institution is subject to closure. The local government faces a challenging task — to organize education for approximately 100 children.
“A third of the building is destroyed, but the thing is that the building has shared heating and water supply systems, and it is not possible to simply allocate a group that could operate independently of the technical condition. At first, it seemed that the damage was not that significant. One section is seriously damaged, the other is simply flooded,” explained the chairman of the Saulkrasti municipality Normunds Licis.
It is planned to try to place children in other educational institutions or municipal buildings. However, this is not so simple, as the premises need to be adapted to all requirements for accommodating small children. Parents of young children need to show understanding and patience right now.
“Thank you to the colleagues who were here all night. The kindergarten staff has been on site since early morning,” added the chairman of the Saulkrasti municipality.
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