A heavy snowstorm hit Estonia on Friday morning, bringing significant snowfall and blizzards. From 6 p.m. on Friday to 2 p.m. on Sunday, the Rescue Board (Päästeamet) received 266 emergency calls related to hazard mitigation. In addition, rescue teams responded to 40 traffic accidents and 20 building fires.

Most of the emergency calls were related to removing fallen trees from roads or power lines due to the weight of the snow. The highest number of calls came from the Southern region (103), followed by the Northern region (71), the Western region (48) and the Eastern region (44).

According to Viktor Saaremets, the Rescue Board's duty officer, the heaviest snowfall has passed, but caution is still advised when traveling and people should avoid venturing onto frozen bodies of water.

"Roads are slippery and during strong blizzards, extra caution is needed. I would also like to remind everyone that although the ice on bodies of water may appear thick, it is not yet safe to walk on. Rescuers regularly check the ice thickness and the ban on walking on ice remains in effect across Estonia," Saaremets said.

A total of 40 traffic accidents were reported — 11 each in the Northern and Southern regions and nine each in the Western and Eastern regions. Not all of these were minor fender benders, as some involved injuries.

For example, on Friday, a collision occurred at the 136-kilometer marker of the Tallinn-Narva highway, where four people were taken to the hospital after two passenger cars collided. Also on Friday, a traffic accident involving three vehicles occurred in Maardu village, with one person taken to the hospital for examination.

In Pärnu County's Häädemeeste Municipality, a truck carrying citrus fruits tipped into a ditch. The alarm center received information about the incident at 1:31 a.m. on Saturday. Paramedics transported the truck driver to the hospital and rescue workers stopped a fuel leak. The police took over handling of the situation.

Rescue vehicles themselves were also involved in accidents. On Saturday, the main rescue vehicle from the Värska Rescue Unit hit a tree that had fallen onto the road, damaging the vehicle's front grille. The rescuers were unharmed and the vehicle was able to continue its journey. Meanwhile, a rescue vehicle from the Tartu unit slid into a ditch while heading to an incident. The vehicle was towed out and resumed operations.

Over the weekend, there were also 20 building fires — seven in the Southern region, six in the Eastern region, five in the Northern region and two in the Western region. The most serious incident, classified as a fourth-level emergency, occurred on Saturday at 9:31 a.m. in Tallinn's Old Town, where a guest apartment on Vene tänav caught fire. Two people who inhaled smoke were taken to the hospital for examination. The fire was brought under control quickly and extinguished by 12:15 p.m.

According to distribution network operator Elektrilevi, there were 106 active outages across Estonia as of 3 p.m. on Sunday, affecting more than 12,000 customers. The largest number of outages was reported in Tartu County, where more than 4,000 customers were without power.

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