Fire stations near nature reserves are not being closed

During the past year, various conspiracy theories concerning forest fires have been actively circulating both in Latvia and globally. For instance, a recent conspiracy theory asserting that fire stations near nature reserves are being shut down gained traction on Facebook. “Delfi” reached out to The State Fire and Rescue Service of Latvia (VUGD), where it was clarified that over the last three years, three fire stations have been reorganized, two of which were situated in Riga and Liepaja.

The VUGD explained that, in order to utilize human resources efficiently while maintaining the quality and accessibility of services provided to citizens, the Sabile depot was optimized starting February 1, 2023. Personnel from this depot have been reassigned to the Kandava, Dundaga, Kuldīga, and Talsi depots, and equipment from the Sabile depot has been relocated to those depots.

On the other hand, starting from September 1, 2022, the 9th division of the VUGD Riga regional administration underwent optimization, with its personnel and equipment relocated to other divisions. Additionally, as of February 3, 2020, the 2nd division of the Liepāja section of the VUGD Kurzeme Region Administration was merged with a neighboring station, consolidating the combined unit at Ziemeļu Street 21a, Liepaja, and closing the facility at Jelgavas Street 41, Liepaja.

Official statistics also confirm that over the past three years, there has been a significant decrease in forest fires.