Storm tears off roofs and uproots trees in parts of Lithuania

Storm damage left homes without roofs and brought down trees across parts of Lithuania over the weekend, LRT reported, citing the State Fire and Rescue Department. Firefighters responded 56 times to remove trees brought down by heavy rain and strong winds from roads, cars and other locations.

There were 34 such callouts on Saturday and 22 on Sunday. The largest number was recorded in Vilnius County, where firefighters carried out 41 operations.

Rescuers also helped residents leave a storm-damaged home in Vilnius and assisted them in removing their belongings.

On Sunday, firefighters were called to Avižieniai village in Vilnius District to remove trees that had fallen onto cars. They found large broken branches between a Seat Altea and an Opel Vectra, neither of which was seriously damaged. In the same village, rescuers also removed a tree that had fallen onto a BMW.

In Vilnius, residents of a home on Žozefo Pusjė Street had to be evacuated on Saturday evening after a storm tore rolled bituminous roofing from a two-storey townhouse. The roofing was hanging over and blocking the entrance.

Firefighters used an extension ladder and a grappling hook to remove the dangerously hanging section and partly clear the entrance. Three people were evacuated and accommodated in a hotel. Firefighters also helped remove valuables from the building.

The roofing damaged a Nissan Juke heavily and a BMW slightly.

Damage reported around Varėna

The storm also severely affected the area around Varėna. In some places, strong winds tore roofs from residential and farm buildings and uprooted trees.

The Varėna District Municipality said the worst damage was reported in Puodžiai village in Jakėnai Eldership. Several residential and industrial buildings lost their roofs, numerous trees were brought down and some residents were left without electricity after power lines were severed and trees fell onto them.

Municipal fire service teams worked throughout the night and removed about 70 fallen trees, most of which had blocked roads. The Žilinai team removed about 30 trees, the Gudžiai team about 20 and the Valkininkai team another 20.

The work restored traffic on the main roads. The municipality said it was assessing the situation, with washouts recorded in some road embankments near culverts. The road owner, Kelių priežiūra, was informed.

Work to clear the storm damage is continuing, while the municipality is coordinating with ESO and other responsible services to restore electricity. Residents have been warned not to approach dangerously hanging trees or power lines and to report them to the relevant services.