Person dies in apartment fire in Saldus municipality

A fire in a four-storey residential building in Saldus municipality, Latvia, killed one person on the morning of 9 October. The information comes from the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD), the agency responsible for firefighting and rescue operations in Latvia.

The call was received at 5.22 a.m. When crews arrived, they found household items and a bed burning over an area of 3 m² in a third-floor apartment. Firefighters evacuated two people from the building, while three other residents had already left before the service arrived. The fire was extinguished at 7.23 a.m. The source does not state the victim's age, gender or the circumstances of the death.

Overview of the day's calls

Between 6.30 a.m. on 8 October and 6.30 a.m. on 9 October, VUGD received 51 calls in total. Of these, 22 were to fires, 13 to rescue operations, and 16 turned out to be false alarms.

At 12.01 p.m. on 8 October, firefighters were called to Mīlgrāvja Street in Rīga, where household items, a sauna and a cloakroom were burning over 60 m² in a single-storey public building. Ten people left the building before firefighters arrived. Six water tankers were used, and more than 20 firefighters and rescuers worked at the scene. The operation ended at 4.36 p.m.

Over the 24 hours, firefighters also tackled fires involving an outbuilding and a wooden shed, mattresses, electrical wiring, an electrical socket, a woodshed with firewood and household items, a greenhouse and the body of a passenger car. In three cases food was burnt, and in seven cases rubbish was on fire.