Inquiry follows fatal fire at hospice

LATVIA:Latvian investigators believe a fire in a hospice that killed up to 25 disabled residents may have started in an attic that had not been approved by fire inspectors for use.

Rescue workers have so far found the remains of 22 people in the charred rubble of the Regi care home in the western village of Alsunga, which was engulfed by flames on Friday morning, when temperatures plunged to minus 25.

The work of local fire crews was hampered by water freezing in their hoses, and by the difficulty of evacuating the hospice's 90 or so residents, many of whom are elderly and had mental and physical disabilities.

Experts studying the most deadly fire in Latvia's recent history suspected the blaze may have been caused by either a discarded cigarette, a problem with the heating furnace, or an electrical malfunction.

They are now investigating how the hospice was run, however, and say it is not clear exactly how many people were living there, and whether all sections of the converted 19th century mansion had received safety approval.

Jurijs Kislaks, deputy chief of the state fire and rescue service, said the building had passed an inspection last March, but that an attic had not been checked because it was not in use at the time. "Apparently last summer there was some construction work done, but it was never inspected by our people," he said.

"This is a clear violation of the regulations." He said nine people had slept in the attic, where the fire is believed to have started.

One theory suggests residents plugged in additional heaters to keep warm in the freezing weather, causing a short circuit in the house's electrical system. Investigators are also considering the possibility that the fire was caused by someone smoking inside the building - the cold night meant smokers were reluctant to go outside.

Officials say all similar hospices will now undergo another round of thorough safety checks, and President Vaira Vike-Freiberga will meet government ministers tomorrow to discuss crisis management and fire safety in social care facilities.

Some Latvian media have called for the welfare minister to be sacked, after a disaster that they say sheds light on the plight of a section of society that has gained little from the country's strong economic growth and accession to the EU in 2004.