A battery sorting warehouse on the outskirts of Vilnius was the scene of fire.
As announced policeOn Tuesday evening, at around 19:40 p.m., a fire broke out in a battery sorting warehouse on Sandėlių Street in the Paneriai eldership.
As reported by the Fire and Rescue Department, upon arrival at the scene, lithium batteries stored in the building were on fire. The fire burned down the building and the lithium batteries inside. Electric vehicle batteries, lamps, and cooking oil stored in the hangar were saved from the fire.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Material has been collected regarding the destruction or damage to property due to negligence.
A person who, due to negligence, destroys or damages another person's property and causes significant property damage to the injured person, in violation of special safety rules of conduct established by legal acts, shall be punished by community service or a fine, or restriction of liberty, or arrest, or imprisonment for up to three years.
ELTA reminds that in May, a working group was formed at the Prosecutor's Office to investigate the recent fires in Lithuania related to the waste recycling sector.
At the time, the National Crisis Management Center (NCMC) claimed that there was no evidence that the recent fires in Lithuania were related to possible cases of sabotage.
PAGD Director Rentas Požėla told Eltai that he seconded the NKVC - according to him, so far, when investigating the circumstances of the fires, there are no signs of intentional criminal activity.
The fire chief, for his part, stated that he believes that, first of all, people need to be reminded that spontaneously flammable materials cannot be thrown into general municipal waste.
According to the director of the PAGD, when investigating the causes of recurring fires, it is also necessary to assess possible failures in waste management technologies. According to R. Požėla, after discussing the previously mentioned aspects, it is possible to assess the possibility of a crime.
"In the end, we can leave the possible criminal activity of the person for assessment," the head of the PAGD hinted.
Recently, there have been several large-scale fires in Lithuania.
At the end of April, a fire broke out at the Energesman waste management plant on Jočionyų Street in Vilnius. The flames were extinguished for about a day, and about 7,5 thousand square meters of the building burned down during the fire. Law enforcement officers have launched an investigation into violations of environmental protection or the use of natural resources or the maintenance or use of structures in which hazardous materials are used or stored or in which potentially hazardous equipment is located or hazardous activities are carried out.
On May 8, the Kaunas cogeneration power plant, located in the village of Biruliškės in the Kaunas district, caught fire. This power plant processes waste and thus produces heat and electricity.
On May 9, a fire broke out at a scrap metal shop in Alytus.
On May 10, the Plasta plastics factory in the capital caught fire. No employees of the company were injured during the incident, and they were evacuated from the premises.
Ingrida Steniulienė (ELTA)
