Fire at Riga Port Sends Smoke Over Vecmilgravis and Vecaki; Residents Urged to Stay Indoors

A fire broke out at a scrap metal storage site on Meldru Street in the Port of Riga, igniting a pile of approximately 30,000 tons of scrap metal. Preliminary findings suggest that the blaze may have been triggered by extreme heat and sparks from operating machinery.

Smoke from the fire has drifted into the nearby neighborhoods of Vecmilgravis and Vecaki. The Riga City Council has urged residents in these areas to keep windows closed and avoid going outside. If smoke odor is detected, they should also shut doors and turn off ventilation and recovery systems.

More than 30 firefighters are battling the blaze, using four water tankers and two ladder trucks. To prevent environmental contamination, booms have been deployed in a branch of the Daugava River, which is receiving large amounts of untreated firefighting runoff water.

An operational command center has been established, involving the State Fire and Rescue Service, the State Police, the Port Police, and representatives of the facility.