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It has already been announced that in the main preliminary investigation, during which confusing scams related to the illegal accumulation of waste were clarified, complaints were made against two legal entities and five natural persons, among them Ekologistika, its director Juozas Cicėnas and two others employees. employees of the Security Department: Aušra Bružienė and Aušra Kričenienė.
This study identified 6 million. euro damage to the state.
Police officers from Alytus, forensic scientists and prosecutors from Kaunas, as well as officials from the Department of Environmental Protection, carried out around 5,000 during the investigation. pretrial investigation actions.
This study identified 6 million. damage to the state. The total civil action brought in the case can be up to 12 million. euros.
On Thursday, a press conference presented what the entire case file looks like: up to 90 volumes.
Photo by Karolina Stažytė / Alytus Fire Case Material
It was reported that the case would go to the Alytus District Court, since the maximum possible punishment for the crimes identified in the investigation was up to 5 years in prison.
“The pretrial investigation in the Alytus fire case has been completed. The indictment has been drawn up, the case will go to court today. Probably each of us had a question about why a fire broke out in the company or if it was possible to prevent, avoid such an ecological catastrophe and such complex consequences, ”said Darius Valkavičius, Chief Prosecutor of the Kaunas Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
According to him, the accused company accumulated a large quantity of tires, which were stored improperly. The number of tires in storage was double that allowed.
“We had an ecological catastrophe, serious consequences for the safety of the population, nature, damage to the state”, summarized D. Valcavičius.
Photo by Marius Vizbaras / 15min / Darius Valkavičius
According to Nomeda Urbonavičienė, Prosecutor of the Organized Crime and Corruption Investigation Division of the Kaunas Regional Prosecutor’s Office, who led and organized the pre-trial investigation, on the fateful day when company employees called fixed lines. The fire broke out and spread within 2 hours. It is not possible to determine the direct cause of the fire, said the prosecutor.
“Taking into account that the scene of the incident has caught fire, a part of the building has collapsed, so it is not possible to determine the direct cause. Only three possible causes have been identified. First, damage to the electrical system of the company. The second possible cause of the fire is violations of the technological process. The third is an external source of open fire. This does not mean arson. No data on arson were obtained. The fire broke out in room no. 28 and spread to other rooms. A large quantity of tires was stored in that room and the initial process of tire processing was carried out there, ”said the prosecutor.
During the fire, the company accumulated more than 5,000. tons of tires. More than 2,000 burned during the fire. tons of tires.
During the study, a minor health disorder was found in three local residents. It is found due to smoke poisoning.
Photo by Marius Vizbaras / 15min / Nomeda Urbonavičienė
According to N. Urbonavičienė, about 3-4 trucks of used tires were brought to the company every day. Because the company was using spent perishable devices, they did not work for several months. As a result, the accumulations grew.
The head of the company accused the rodent
The Ecology chief, who was found guilty in the case, allowed the tires to be stored in inappropriate premises and also failed to ensure fire safety requirements.
Due to the fire, the property of the nearby company was destroyed, about 2.4 thousand. kv. m of local.
“The head of the company (Juozas Cicėnas – Aut. Past). He does not admit fault, the interviewee never gave testimony. It is true that immediately after the fire, questioned by a special witness, he indicated the possible cause of the fire. According to him, a small fire allegedly broke out on the premises of the adjacent company, and a rodent caught fire and a burning man ran towards the premises of his company. This is how the tires caught fire, “said N. Urbonavičienė.
According to D.Valkavičius, all versions are always examined, but the information provided by the director of the company, about the rodent, has not been confirmed.
“The investigation took 10 months to complete,” said Alvydas Jurgelevičius, chief of the Alytus County Police Station.
An experiment was even carried out to determine how much tire was concentrated in the plant before the fire, he said.
Will be added
Another case is pending
15 minutes It recalls that the Alytus District Court is examining separately the criminal case of Algirdas Bautronis, head of the Alytus Fire and Rescue Service, and Saulius Mockevičius, chief specialist of this service, for failure to perform their duties related to a fire in Ekologistika tire recycling company. This case has been separated from a large-scale pre-trial investigation into the fire that occurred in October 2019 at the Alytus Ekologistika company.
Heads of the Fire and Rescue Service of Alytus Algirdas Bautronis and Saulius Mockevičius
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, due to the inaction of the Alytus Fire and Rescue Service agents, no measures have been taken that could have prevented this fire. According to the pre-trial investigation, the defendants did not classify this company as a group of objects to be inspected and did not include it in the planned annual technical fire inspection plans. This did not allow the fire to be identified, located at an early stage and prevented from spreading.
The pre-trial investigation also found that there had been nine fires at the company since 2012, of which officials from the Fire and Rescue Service were aware.
The fire at the Ekologistika tire processing plant in the Industrial District broke out on the night of October 16 last year, and firefighters battled the blaze and its aftermath for more than a week.
During the fire, due to air pollution, businesses located around the burned-out factory in Alytus did not operate, public transportation did not reach the Industrial District, and some farmers in the Alytus District were unable to supply milk.
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