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RIGA, May 2 (LETA) - During the night, a construction debris fire in Rumbula, Stopiņi parish, Ropazi municipality, has been contained, but extinguishing works are still ongoing, the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD) informed LETA.

The fire broke out in the construction and industrial waste management company CleanR Verso's waste sorting and recycling center Nomales in Rumbula, the company's chairman of the board Eriks Gusevs confirmed.

On Friday evening at around 22:00, VUGD received a call to Stopini municipality, where construction waste of 2,000 m2, a hangar wall of 200 m2, mobile modules of 10 m2 and a construction waste crusher were on fire.

The company reported that unsorted construction waste had caught fire, but that there had been no hazardous waste on the site. However, the State Environmental Service was informed of the situation.

The fire caused heavy smoke which could be seen and felt in the surrounding area, so nearby residents were urged not to open their windows at night and to take other precautions.

One firefighter was injured during the firefighting and was transferred to the Emergency Medical Service. The company reported during the night that there were no casualties on its side.

Within less than three hours, the high-risk fire was contained and extinguishing work is ongoing.

Gusevs reported on Saturday morning that neither the sorting and recycling lines nor the equipment had been damaged in the fire.

"It is still too early to discuss the causes of the fire, but the most common causes of such incidents are electrical appliances discarded in unsorted construction waste, which can catch fire," Gusevs said.

Renate Gremze, Deputy Chair of the Ropazi Municipal Council (New Unity/Progressives) told the LETA that municipal police officers were on duty at the fire scene and monitored the situation, and that she herself had spent several hours inspecting the accident site and the situation at nearby homes.

Building materials and chopped wood were burning on the site, so the smoke was not hazardous, but it could be smelled over a wide area; therefore, the municipality urged residents on social media to close their windows.

She noted that the municipal police have issued administrative protocols to the company on multiple occasions, and the municipality has informed the State Environmental Service (VVD) about the disorder at the waste storage site, but no action has been taken by the VVD. Gremze believes that the VVD should take proactive measures in such cases to prevent accidents.

Gremze noted that firefighting efforts were hampered by difficulties in accessing water.