Autumn wet weather encourages you to light the oven or turn on the boiler, which is minimally used in summer, and warm up. However, before maintaining a comfortable room temperature, it is important to check the heating system and put it in order, as intense heating often proves to be an unbearable test for a stove, chimney or boiler and leads to a fire. Experience from previous years has shown that untimely deficiencies in the heating system and careless handling of fire tend to lead to a fire that destroys the property, leaving the owner homeless.

BTA Baltic Insurance Company AAS (hereinafter – BTA) receives several dozen insurance claims each year to compensate for damages caused by a fire accident. And often the cause of such an accident could have been prevented by taking better care of the heating system. For example, last year there was a case when soot caught fire in the chimney of a residential building in Salacgrīva municipality. The chimney heated up that much that it ignited the nearby wooden structures and a large fire broke out. As a result, the one-story house was completely incinerated.

Another similar sad story was experienced in Aknīste municipality, where flames sprung from the roof due to the chimney. Only thanks to the attentive neighbours, having timely noticed the flames and called the firefighters, was it possible to save the two-storey building from burning. The damages were limited to the roof, damaged by fire, and one room that got soaked from extinguishing efforts. Another undermaintained chimney in Dobele municipality heated up and resulted in ignition of the apartment’s finishing materials, but the flames were luckily put out in time.

“Chimney cleaning and oven inspection are mandatory at the beginning of each heating season. Unfortunately, our experience shows that fire shows no mercy or does forgive carelessness, and a single spark or soot burning in an uncleaned chimney can lead to a building in flames in a matter of minutes. Regular maintenance should also be performed on boilers not postponing until the last minute. By taking responsibility for the safety of their heating systems, homeowners not only protect themselves against disastrous experience and huge expenses, but also save their own lives and the lives of their family members,” believes Kārlis Liepiņš, the Director of BTA Insurance Claims Handling Department, advises.

Fire accidents are often the result of careless actions or recklessness with respect to fire safety regulations. Thus, for example, a spark from the stove in Rēzekne municipality ignited the dry firewood stored in front of the furnace. In no time, the entire room was filled with smoke, then flames took over and the building burned down completely. This could have been avoided unless the firewood was at the very stove or had it been separated by a fire-proof wall.

About BTA

BTA Baltic Insurance Company is one of the leading insurance companies in the Baltics, offering the broadest range of non-life insurance services in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. BTA employs more than 1,000 employees in the Baltics. The shareholder of BTA is Vienna Insurance Group AG with close to 200 years of experience in the insurance business. With about 50 companies in 30 countries and more than 25,000 employees, Vienna Insurance Group is a clear market leader in its Central and Eastern European markets, and takes care of more than 22 million customers. Vienna Insurance Group is the best-rated company of ATX, the leading index of Vienna Stock Exchange (since 1994) with a rating of A+ with stable outlook from Standard & Poor’s. Vienna Insurance Group works in close partnership with Erste Group – the largest retail bank in CEE.

Additional information:
Elīna Zvejniece
Marketing and Public Relations Department Director
BTA Baltic Insurance Company AAS
e-mail elina.zvejniece@bta.lv