Latvia Firefighters Respond to 61 Emergencies in 24 Hours: Fires, Rescues & False Alarms

Latvia’s Fire and Rescue Service Responds to 61 Incidents in 24 Hours

The State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD) of Latvia responded to 61 calls in the 24-hour period between 6:30 AM on February 4th and 6:30 AM on February 5th, 2026. These included 23 fire extinguishing calls, 25 rescue operations and 13 false alarms.

On February 4th at 6:32 PM, firefighters were called to the Ozolnieki parish in the Jelgava region following a collision involving two cars. Rescuers used hydraulic tools to free a person trapped in one of the vehicles and transferred them to Emergency Medical Service (EMS) personnel. In total, five people were handed over to EMS. The roadway was cleared of the vehicles shortly before 9:00 AM, concluding the VUGD’s work at the scene.

At 8:56 AM on February 5th, a call came in regarding damage to the external structures and interior walls of a three-story warehouse on Rencēnu Street in Riga, covering an area of approximately 100 square meters. Forty people evacuated the building. No injuries were reported, and the VUGD completed its work at the location by 11:00 AM.

Shortly before 10:00 AM, the VUGD responded to a fire that broke out in a one-story residential house with a mansard roof on Ventas Street in Kuldīga. The fire damaged the first floor of the house, its contents, and the roof structure over an area of 80 square meters. Two residents evacuated before the arrival of firefighters, and one was treated by EMS personnel. The incident was resolved by 1:36 PM.

At 12:10 PM, the VUGD received a call about a fire in an apartment on the first floor of a multi-apartment building on Smilšu Street in Daugavpils. Household items were burning over an area of 50 square meters. Before the arrival of firefighters, one person evacuated the building and was treated for injuries by EMS. A cat was also rescued from the smoke-filled premises. Seventeen firefighters and four fire engines were deployed to the scene, and the fire was extinguished by 2:47 PM.

At 1:12 PM, firefighters were dispatched to Voleru Street in Riga, where a fire broke out in an extension and household items on the first floor of a three-story residential building, covering an area of 30 square meters. One person evacuated the building before the VUGD arrived. The situation was under control by 3:58 PM.

At 2:32 PM, the VUGD responded to a fire in the ventilation shaft on the third floor of a six-story public building – the Jāzeps Mediņš Riga Music Secondary School – on Stabu Street in Riga. The fire covered an area of 1 square meter. One hundred people evacuated the building before the arrival of firefighters, and the incident was resolved by 3:27 PM.

At 4:58 PM, a call was received regarding a fire in a garage cooperative on Krustpils Street in Riga, where the interfloor ceiling and roof of a two-story outbuilding were burning over an area of 30 square meters. One person was rescued from the fire, and the VUGD completed its work at the scene at 7:38 PM.

At 5:42 PM, firefighters were needed on Saules Street in Rēzekne, where soot was burning in the chimney of a one-story residential house over an area of 0.5 square meters. Three people were evacuated from the house, and the fire was extinguished by 7:53 PM.

Shortly after 6:00 PM, the VUGD received a call about a fire in a shed on Lībagu Street in Riga, covering an area of 10 square meters. Three people were rescued from the burning shed, and the fire was extinguished shortly after 8:00 PM.

At 6:10 PM, the VUGD responded to a fire in a metal hangar in the Suntaži parish of the Ogres region. Upon arrival, firefighters found that the hangar and the wood materials inside were fully ablaze over an area of 500 square meters, with partial collapse of the roof. The fire was extinguished shortly before 1:00 AM.

At 8:49 PM, a call came in regarding a fire in a boiler and flooring in an apartment on the third floor of a nine-story residential building on Staiceles Street in Riga, covering an area of 1 square meter. The fire was extinguished before the VUGD arrived, but one person was injured.

At 9:31 PM, the VUGD responded to a fire in a fireplace surround in a two-story residential house on Zlēku Street in Ventspils, covering an area of 3 square meters. One person evacuated the building before the arrival of firefighters, and the incident was resolved by 10:10 PM.

Shortly after 4:00 AM, firefighters were called to Latgales Street in Riga, where household items and furniture were burning in an apartment on the first floor of a five-story residential building, covering an area of 4 square meters. One person was rescued from the burning apartment and treated for injuries. Fifteen people evacuated the building, and the fire was extinguished by 5:41 AM.

Throughout the day, the VUGD also responded to incidents involving fires in a car, an outbuilding, chimneys, a garage, a tractor, a floor, a balcony, a mattress, a garden house, and unattended food.