At 10:40 p.m. on Saturday the Alarm Center (Häirekeskus) was notified of a fire in a residential building in Kolkja, Peipsiääre Rural Municipality, Tartu County.

The alarm center was informed that the roof of a two-story house was in flames and that, due to strong winds at the time, the conflagration was threatening to ignite surrounding buildings.

In the course of putting out the blaze, Rescue Board (Päästeamet) personnel from the Alastkivi brigade found the bodies of three people, in an attic area.

Daily Postimees reports the deceased were a woman and her two grown-up sons.

The Rescue Board says smoke alarms could be heard from the lower floors of the residential building, but it is no longer possible to determine if they could be heard from the attic or if a smoke alarm had been installed there.

The board reminds the public that in order to rapidly detect a fire, it is essential that every household has a working smoke detector.

Fires can become life-threatening very quickly, and only a functioning and correctly installed smoke detector can act to save lives.

In addition to the rescuer board personnel from from Alatskivi, brigades from Tartu, Mustvee and Pala responded to the call out.

While the cause of the blaze is as yet unknown, the Rescue Board says it likely started in an outbuilding adjacent to the house and spread from there to the living spaces under the eaves. The building was almost completely destroyed by the fire.  

Further investigation will clarify the exact circumstances and the causes.

A total of 10 people have perished in domestic fires in Estonia in 2024.

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