Fire breaks out in apartment building near Jelgava, forcing residents to flee

Residents of an apartment building in the village of Āne, in Jelgava municipality, experienced frightening moments after an electrical distribution cabinet caught fire on the building's ground floor. Flames and smoke quickly spread through the corridor, forcing people to hastily leave their homes.

The fire was first noticed by the daughter of one resident, Ņina, who happened to be visiting her mother at the time. Stepping into the corridor, she saw flames and heard what sounded like small explosions, and immediately called emergency services. According to her account, the fire spread rapidly, then died down, leaving thick smoke behind.

The woman said her mother was fortunate not to have been alone when the fire broke out, since Ņina often naps in the afternoons and might not have noticed the heavy smoke in time. Ņina herself said the incident had badly frightened her — in her rush to leave the apartment, she did not even have time to dress properly, and a neighbor later passed her clothes to her through a balcony.

Evacuation and aftermath

Five residents managed to evacuate the building on their own, but one person was unable to get out of the smoke-filled premises unassisted and had to be led out by rescuers, who then handed them over to medics. The most seriously affected was a second-floor resident, who was taken to hospital in moderate condition.

Although the fire started on the ground floor, soot marks were visible on higher floors as well. Because of the burned-out distribution cabinet, the five-story building was left without electricity, and technicians worked to restore power as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, residents expressed concern about food in refrigerators and freezers beginning to spoil without electricity.