The Fire Protection and Rescue Department indicated that the fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon, shortly after noon.
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At 12:38 it was reported that the yard of a waste management company on Kalnalaukio Street, where household appliances and their waste are stored, was on fire.
“This is the kind of fire, this is the pollution coming,” commented Arūnas Vareikis from Širvintos, who recorded the video and shared it on Facebook, with a hoarse voice.
Five fire trucks were sent to the scene. Upon arrival, rescuers found that a tented facility with waste inside was burning.
Firefighters with respiratory protection devices are currently extinguishing the fire.
“It’s impossible to be here. It even stings the eyes,” added witness Arūnas.
Since dangerous smoke is spreading from the fire site, warning messages have been sent to the mobile phones of Širvintos residents living within a one-kilometer radius of the incident.
The Širvintos district municipality also posts important information for residents on its Facebook page.
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“The Fire Protection and Rescue Department asks to avoid being outdoors due to possible air pollution caused by the fire, to close house windows and shutters, and, if possible, to avoid traveling to this part of the city.
We ask residents to be cautious and follow the recommendations of officials,” the municipality’s statement reads.
Fire Protection and Rescue Department representative Edita Zdanevičienė additionally informed 15min that after 3 p.m. the tense situation at the fire site has not changed.
On one hand, there is no open flame at the scene, but burning is occurring somewhere deeper. “Firefighters are working, searching for the exact source,” said E. Zdanevičienė. The Fire Protection and Rescue Department representative added that firefighters are also dismantling the roof structures of the smoke-filled building. The forces at the scene remain the same for now: they are neither increased nor decreased based on actual needs.
According to E. Zdanevičienė, considering the rising pollution, environmental specialists have also been called to the fire site to assess the situation. It is possible that after this assessment, the radius of the residents’ risk zone will be adjusted.
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