Balconies are falling, and repairs are postponed for years: an entire building in Purvciems has been declared emergency 0 9

The incident occurred in a building on Staičeles Street. After reports of the destruction of balcony structures, rescuers arrived at the scene, who used an aerial ladder to inspect the facade and ensured that no new fragments would fall from the balconies, reports the show Degpunktā (TV3).

According to residents, one of the structures literally began to crumble before their eyes.

"We looked out the window and saw that the panel was hanging. We immediately called 112. The firefighters and police arrived," said a resident of the sixth-floor apartment.

In less than two hours, rescuers dismantled the dangerous elements on three balconies and cordoned off the area around the building.

For many residents, the incident was not a surprise. The building was constructed almost 55 years ago, and during all this time, a major repair of the balconies has not been carried out. Some residents admit that they have long stopped using the balconies due to safety concerns.

"We have been living here for a year and a half. During all this time, I have only been out on the balcony a few times — just to wash the windows," said one of the residents of the building.

The problem is not unique to this building. In many neighboring buildings, balconies are already closed off with protective structures or completely taken out of service. In some cases, only a small platform remains near the door instead of a full balcony.

According to representatives of the managing company "Rīgas namu pārvaldnieks", the main difficulty lies in the fact that balconies are considered common property of the building, but not all apartments have them. As a result, owners of apartments without balconies are often unwilling to support costly repair work, and decisions are postponed for years.

"The longer repairs are delayed, the higher the risk that the balcony will eventually become emergency," the company notes.

An additional problem is that part of the building's savings regularly has to be spent on other emergency work. As a result, there is not enough funding for balcony repairs.

Currently, engineers are conducting an inspection of all structures. Until the inspection is completed, residents are officially prohibited from using the balconies. After receiving the conclusion, specialists and apartment owners will have to decide on further actions. Among the possible options are the dismantling of emergency structures, restoration of balconies, or a more extensive reconstruction of the facade.

The case in Purvciems highlights the problem of many Soviet-era apartment buildings: repairs postponed for decades eventually turn from a matter of comfort into a matter of safety.