Fire destroys distillery warehouse

A warehouse has been destroyed after a fire broke out at the Latvijas Balazams distillery in Riga – the largest alcoholic drinks producer in the Baltic states.

Employees were evacuated from the building before firefighters arrived, according to reports by Shanghai Daily.

Despite the efforts of 47 firefighters to control the blaze, a large portion of the storehouse was destroyed.

The fire is believed to have started on the ground floor of the storehouse where a number of pallets were said to have caught alight, however the cause of the blaze is not clear.

Luckily nobody was injured in the fire, which the State Fire and Rescue Service said had spread across an area of 1,000 square metres.

Dana Hasana, communications manager of JSC Latvijas Balzams, said in a statement: “JSC Latvijas Balzams informs that the company has resumed the world – the acceptance of cargoes is already taking place as well as filling of beverages will be resumed in the afternoon.

“Inspection of the warehouse premises, which were damaged during the fire, is taking place in parallel to that in order to specify the amount of losses and establish causes for ignition.

She added: “Losses caused by the fire are not as big as to significantly affect the financial results of activities of the company. Warehouse premises and finished products of JSC Latvijsa Balzams are insured. Products, which are located in the warehouse affected by the fire, have been damaged and will be destroyed.”

Latvijas Balzams is the largest alcoholic beverage producer in the Baltic states and is headquartered in the Latvian capital of Riga.

Its flagship product is Riga Black Balsam, a traditional Latvian herbal liqueur.