Last year, one person was injured in the fires, 394 hectares of territory burned out and five buildings burned down. in 2022, one person died and suffered in the grass fires, 1,060 hectares of territory burned out and 47 buildings burned down.
95 grass fires have already been extinguished this year.
The largest number of fires was registered in Rīga and its vicinity but the smallest in Kurzeme and Vidzeme.
The VUGD noted that if people notice a fire, they should immediately call the single emergency number 112 and give the exact address or describe the location of the fire as accurately as possible. The exact location of the fire can be better determined if the caller is in the vicinity of the fire, at a safe distance, and has activated the location and emergency location service on their phone.
Fifty-six to 140 penalty units can be imposed on natural persons for burning. According to the Law on Administrative Liability, one unit of fine is €5. The fine for burning grass is therefore between €280 and €700.
However, failure to comply with fire safety requirements laid down in legislation, including failure to clean up property which may contribute to the spread of fires, may result in a warning or a fine of between six and fifty-six penalty units for a natural person and between fifty-six and two hundred and eighty penalty units for a legal person.
Thus, the fine for non-compliance with fire safety requirements for a natural person is between €30 and €280 and for a legal person between €280 and €1 400.
