Riga: Eight people were killed by a fire that broke out at a hostel in downtown Riga early on Wednesday, according to the fire and rescue service.
At around 4:40 a.m. (0130 GMT), firefighters were called emergently to tackle the blaze in a six-floor building where flames had engulfed rooms on the upper floor and the roof. The building houses the Japanese Style Centrum hostel.
Agrita Vitola, a representative of the State Fire and Rescue Service, said on public radio that eight people were found dead in the burning building. Another six people were rushed to hospital and 20 were led out from the hostel to safety.
Viktorija, an eyewitness who had been living in the hostel, was quoted by local media as saying that she had heard a blast before the fire started and that prior to the blast there had been a brawl among several foreign tenants of the hostel.
The rescue operation is ongoing, with 53 firemen involved in putting out the fire. The area around the hostel is closed to traffic.