At a little after 10.45 p.m. Friday, the Emergency Center (Häirekeskus) was notified of a fire in the village of Langerma, Põhja Pärnumaa Municipality, around 40km north of Pärnu city.

First responders arrived within 10 minutes and began to tackle the blaze, entering the building as part of the operation.

While the fire was largely extinguished by 11.15 p.m., the body of an elderly man was discovered.

The fire was declared fully extinguished shortly after 2.30 a.m. on the Saturday.

Fire crews say there was no evidence of a smoke alarm having worked at any point from the outbreak of the fire, whose cause will be the subject of further investigation.

The Rescue Board (Päästeamet) urges the public to ensure a functioning smoke detector, in any case mandatory, is in place in their home, while from this year it has also been mandatory to install a carbon monoxide detector, in homes which use a fireplace or stove to burn solid fuels.

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