Early on June 11, State Forest Service representative Zigmunds Jaunķiķis said an estimated 300 hectares of forest and swamp are burning.
Helicopters and ground units are involved in the attempts to put out the fire. Jaunķiķis said it can't be ruled out that military activities caused the fire. Currently, the international Saber Strike exercise involving more than 3,000 troops is taking place across Latvia.
The first reports of the fire appeared at midday, June 10.
Ugunsgrēka izplatīšanās Ādažu poligonā ir apturēta; notiek gruzdēšana: https://t.co/gdYY7HvnbY pic.twitter.com/iJnNj64fSd
— AizsardzībasMin. (@AizsardzibasMin) June 11, 2018
A statement from the Defense Ministry Monday afternoon said the fire had been brought under control but damping-down operations were still continuing.
The cause was yet to be established but was not related to "Swift Response" exercises that toom place at the military zone June 9, the ministry said.
No buildings or other facilities had been damaged by the inferno but, live-fire exercises had been suspended for the time being, the ministry added. Covering some 13,000 hectares in total, the zone is not only the largest of its kind in the Baltic states but is also an important nature reserve.
