Fire in Panevėžys Apartment Building Leaves Residents Without Electricity

Firefighters responded to a blaze in an apartment building in Panevėžys, Lithuania, on Tuesday morning. The fire, which occurred around 8:30 a.m. at Parko Street 3, was confined to an electrical panel on the second floor of one of the building's stairwells. Three fire trucks, along with ambulance and police crews, were dispatched to the scene. Vilma Vaiginytė, a senior specialist with the Panevėžys Fire and Rescue Service, confirmed that the fire was not extensive and was extinguished using a 6-kilogram fire extinguisher. She noted that the electrical panel had recently undergone upgrades, with old meters replaced by smart ones. A resident of the building suggested that old or faulty wiring might have caused the fire, emphasizing that timely action by another resident who smelled smoke and called the fire department prevented a larger incident. The fire resulted in a power outage for some residents as the electrical wiring was cut during the firefighting efforts. Vaiginytė stated that it is unlikely the panel was deliberately set on fire given the time of day and activity levels, suggesting a malfunction was the more probable cause. The circumstances surrounding the incident are currently under investigation.