Fire breaks out in five-storey Riga apartment building, three residents self-evacuate

A fire broke out early Saturday morning in a five-storey residential building on Patversmes Street in Riga. According to the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD), the call came in at 6:48 a.m. after electrical wiring and household items caught fire in a third-floor flat, affecting an area of about half a square metre.

Three people managed to evacuate the building on their own before rescuers arrived. The fire was extinguished and work at the scene concluded at 8:13 a.m. No injuries or fatalities were reported in this incident.

Overall situation over the day

In total, the VUGD received 38 calls during the same 24-hour period. Of these, five involved firefighting, 16 involved rescue operations, and 17 turned out to be false alarms. No one was injured or killed in the fires recorded on Saturday.

Risks of faulty wiring

The VUGD reminds the public that damaged or outdated electrical wiring is a common cause of fires. The service urges residents to stay alert: if wires, sockets or switches start overheating, sparking, or emitting a burning smell, use of the electrical devices should be stopped immediately and the fault checked by a specialist.