Riga Castle Fire - Riga, Latvia - Famous Fires on Waymarking.com

"The builders who worked on the reconstruction of the Riga Castle, which began in December 2012, left work at 18:45. Around 22:21 on the night of 20 June 2013, fire broke out in the castle and the firefighters were called in. The castle was guarded by the military police.

After midnight authorities declared the fire reached the highest level, being seen across the Daugava river. Around 1 a.m., the State Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) reported that 79 rescuers, 11 tanks, 3 ladders, 1 platform and 3 specialized vehicles were involved in the operation, and that one firefighter, who was poisoned by the smoke, had been hospitalized. Shortly before 2 a.m, the roof of the castle was no longer visible, engulfed by the flames. At 3:53 in the morning the source of the fire was spotted, and at 4:45 a.m. the traffic was restored on the embankment 11. Novembra, between Akmens and Vanšu bridges.

The Riga agency of State Fire and Rescue Service gathered all resources available, including aid from the Jurmala fire department. The military police Corporal Alvis Bruveris lowered the Latvian flag in the castle, to be raised back on Friday by the senior military policeman First Class Officer Aldis Dortans. Latvian President Andris Berzinš described the fire as a "national disaster" during a morning visit to inspect the damage.

Damage

Riga Castle on the day after the fire emergency service firefighters estimate that around 3,200 square meters of the castle was destroyed, being 2,400 square meters of the palace roof and the attic, 600 square meters on the fourth floor and 200 square meters on the third. The Red Hall was almost completely burnt, the White Hall was severely damaged, and the State Festival, Ambassador Accreditation and Coats of Arms halls have all been damaged. The most solid part of the castle, which housed the Chancellery of the President, and the Latvian Art Museum have also been affected, with exception of the National History Museum. Riga Castle is insured for a total of 27.3 million Lats.

During the fire there were wide concerns spreading on social media about the status of unique museum collections located at the Castle. None of the collections were destroyed by the fire, however parts of them were damaged by water."

--Wikipedia (visit link)

Type of Structure: other Other: National/public building but closed to visitors, except for the museum inside Construction Date: 01/01/1515 Fire Date: 06/20/2013 Structure status: Still standing building Cause of Fire: On June 20, workers were cutting old ventilation shafts with an angle grinder. Shortly before the end of the workday, the cutting of the shafts with the angle grinder caused sparks which set off a small fire, which the workers put out with a fire extinguisher. However, after the fire was supposedly put out, nobody stayed behind to monitor the situation, which, according to regulations, should be done for at least 12 hours after the fire has been put out. --Source http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/legislation/?doc=89395 Documentation of the fire: [Web Link]

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