“Our officers were wearing respiratory protection. (&) They could not see anything at arm’s length in the heat and the smoke. According to them, there were no voices, no other signs that a person with signs of life was nearby. There was only information that there should be two people in the area,” Deputy Head of the PAGD Mindaugas Kanapickas said in response to comments from the family of a child, who died in the fire. They have claimed that the firefighters did not even try to rescue the trapped boy.
“We have had information about two people, a minor and a man,” he added, noting that four flats in the building were already on fire when firefighters arrived.
An expert team is currently working to stabilise the damaged structures of the building in order to recover the bodies.
Later on Wednesday, Kanapickas said, the people will be allowed to access their flats to take their documents and other key belongings.
Three people were poisoned by the smoke during the deadly fire. Two women, aged 28 and 43, are being treated as outpatients, while a 80-year-old woman was hospitalised.
Residents of 30 flats were evacuated and offered a stay in hotels. The city municipality said it is ready to give them 26 social homes and pay allowances.
Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas says that the building destroyed by the fire in Viršuliškės may no longer be in use. The municipality is currently carrying out an investigation into the technical condition of the building.