Man dies in Ignalina house fire as two occupants escape

A man died in an attic fire in the Lithuanian town of Ignalina on Tuesday evening, while two other occupants escaped, LRT reported.

The fire broke out in a room in the attic of a wooden, single-storey house. One resident was taken to a medical facility for an examination, while another got out without assistance. Firefighters found the man, born in 1978, without signs of life inside the building. Medics later pronounced him dead.

The fire destroyed the attic room, while smoke and water damaged the rest of the house. There was no smoke detector in the building. The cause of the fire is under investigation, and a pre-trial investigation has been opened to establish the cause of death.

Preliminary figures show that 63 people have died in fires in Lithuania this year, while 155 others have suffered burns or smoke inhalation. About 8,400 fires have been recorded since the start of the year.