RIGA, Aug 5 (LETA) - A new U.S.-funded fire station has been unveiled in a ceremony at the air base in Lielvarde, the U.S. Embassy in Riga informed LETA.  

Construction of the USD 2 million project began in May 2018 and was completed earlier this year. The U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AF)-funded European Deterrence Initiative (EDI) project was awarded to construction company Mitnija.

The fire station includes bays for five fire vehicles, a residential area for the firefighters, an administrative area for offices and training, service and operational areas, as well as storage spaces. The completed project provides facilities for Latvian Air Force firefighters and has contributed to the goal of making Lielvarde Airfield a fully-developed NATO airfield.

Participating in the unveiling ceremony were U.S. Ambassador to Latvia John Carwile, Latvian Air Force Lt. Col. Viesturs Masulis and Under Secretary of State for Logistics Latvian Ministry of Defense Martins Paskevics.