"The phones at the Emergency Response Center are always ringing, but looking at the numbers — even just compared with last year — emergency calls dropped by an average of 10 to 15 percent," Janek Murakas, crisis manager at the Emergency Response Center, said on ERR's "Vikerhommik" Tuesday morning. "So you could say that Midsummer night was a completely ordinary workday for us."

According to Murakas, most people calling emergency services are in need of paramedics, which typically accounts for about two-thirds of all calls. This is followed by calls involving police, while another roughly 5 percent of calls involve rescue services.

From the dispatch center's point of view, it was a good sign that there were no hold times on the emergency line. The crisis manager noted that the center always prepares more extensively for holidays.

"There are always incidents unique to Midsummer's Eve that stand out in our statistics," he continued. "People trying to jump over bonfires — and not doing a very good job of it — or those who try lighting bonfires using other means and end up injuring themselves in ways we don't usually see on a typical day."

Fewer bonfire calls due to wet weather

Erki Põld, a crisis manager at the Rescue Board, said that over the weekend and during the holiday period, they responded to a total of 293 calls, including 121 fires.

"Rescuers were repeatedly called to extinguish bonfires that were either too large or too close to buildings," he said. "But compared with last year, there were significantly fewer such calls, since the weather was cool and rainy."

The official acknowledged that there were still incidents where intoxicated individuals blocked rescuers' access to a scene, requiring police assistance.

Incidents began over the weekend already. Põld highlighted a boating accident off the coast of Muhu Island on Saturday in which one person died. That same day, a house and sauna burned down in Narva-Jõesuu, but the person inside the sauna was rescued before first responders arrived.

On the morning of June 24, a fire broke out on the island of Hiiumaa when an electric scooter ignited inside a guesthouse, prompting the evacuation of 25 people.

"There were also a few holiday-related calls involving burnt food — where rescuers were summoned to an apartment building stairwell and it turned out that someone had left food on a stove and then left home," the Rescue Board official described.

"These types of incidents can be very dangerous too, as burnt food can cause actual fires," he added.

Over time, people have gotten much better at recognizing risks and staying safe, Põld noted. The Rescue Board puts a lot of effort into education and outreach, he added — starting as early as kindergarten.

"Ultimately, society is getting safer," he acknowledged. "But when you compare this year's Midsummer to last year's, the weather clearly plays a big role — cool, rainy conditions mean fewer bonfires and less time spent outdoors, so there were noticeably fewer bonfire-related incidents this year."

Police had to address air guns, domestic violence and fights

Police responded to 50 highest-priority calls on Midsummer Night

"There were a total of 50 highest-priority calls, meaning situations where people's lives or health were at risk," said Virko Luide, operations chief at the Police and Border Guard Board, speaking to "Aktuaalne kaamera."

He noted that several incidents involved weapons.

"In Tartu, a man was seen at a bus stop holding an air gun, and there was also a group of people who decided to shoot traffic signs with air guns. In Jõhvi, a moving vehicle was identified with a person in the back seat holding a weapon. We also had violent altercations, both in private homes and at public Midsummer bonfire events," he said.

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