A massive fire at a car scrapyard in Vilnius was extinguished on Thursday morning, the Fire and Rescue Department (PAGD) has informed. Firefighters were working all night at the site that caught fire on Wednesday evening.
The Fire and Rescue Department tells LRT RADIO that the fire in the car junkyard on Panerių Street has been extinguished. Firefighters worked all night at the site, digging up piles of waste and filling them with water. The fire was extinguished on Thursday at 05.32.
A spokesman for the department says that some firefighters will remain on duty at the scene.
“A fire clearance has been declared. This means that there are no more fire points, but the finishing touches are still being done. The firefighters will still be on a smaller force for some time to make sure that the fire does not spread further. They will still be on standby and the water refilling will still take place,” Donatas Gurevičius, a spokesman for the PAGD, told LRT RADIO.
According to him, the fire was extinguished by about 60 officers and was localised at 22:22 on Wednesday evening. No people were injured in the incident.
Panerių Street remains closed while officers remain on duty at the fire site.
“The good news is that casualties were avoided, no traumas were caused. The high-power transformers with oil on the nearby site, which belong to [the electricity company] ESO, were also protected, as there would have been a threat,” said Gurevičius.
A car scrapyard in Vilnius caught fire on Wednesday evening, it was reported at 18:32.
The Vilnius municipality, which reported the incident, said initially that an area of about 5,000 square metres was on fire.
“The direction of the smoke is not precise, the smoke is spreading from the fire’s source towards Šeškinė,” the municipality said.
Aleksandras Zubriakovas, director of corporate affairs of the Lithuanian Railways (LTG) group, confirmed to BNS that the fire broke out on the territory owned by LTG, but said it was not related to the company’s infrastructure.
According to him, the fire broke out on the territory leased by LTG to another company.
The Fire and Rescue Department (PAGD) said the incident was reported to them at 18:32.
The scrapyard is located on Panerių Street 56. Eight tankers were dispatched to the scene.
The scrapyard is owned by the company Ruvis.
When BNS contacted the company, its representative refrained from commenting and asked to call back later.
According to preliminary data, there were no casualties or fatalities.
Adomas Bužinskas, director of the Vilnius Municipality Administration, posted a message on Facebook urging Vilnius residents to close their windows, temporarily turn off their heat recovery systems and avoid being outdoors.
Some residents of Vilnius have also received a warning on their mobile phones about possible air pollution and recommendations to avoid being in open air.
Information on air pollution in the city can be tracked here: https://miestoplauciai.vilnius.lt/orotarsa/
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