Wednesday, 17 July 2013

Fire

Note: This is a rough translation of what I originally wrote in Latvian. Writing from scratch would've been different in a better way.

I came to Tallinn on Saturday afternoon to evaluate the burnt flat, since I couldn't figure what the broker said on the phone; only that the guitars have been relocated to the living room to suffer less from the water. The owner's husband would be waiting for me.

The outside looks fine, as well as the stairwell, except for the burn marks present since January that were to be fixed in February. The doors to my hallway open up.

There's rubble, coal, ash, dust and burnt furniture everywhere. The apartment's broken doors don't serve their function, since the living room is visible through the holes in the walls. As I walk in the flat, I step over wet and dirty carpets, towels and female hygiene products (to-be flatmate had unfortunately left her stuff here already). Holes in the floor, walls and ceiling. As I read in the news, the cause of fire was a fuse box a floor below, but it seemed that all the wires in the apartment had burned - they seemed to have leaked something.

The guitars are gone. No instruments visible, except an ash covered tambourine. Everything stolen on Friday night or buried down. The beds are covered with rubble, all pictures, paintings and drawings have burned down. Both cameras are gone. I fill up a plastic bag with clothes, take my suit that stinks like soot, and leave. I leave most of the stuff at a friend's place and go sit at a cafe to drink the pain away and look for a new place to live. Luckily, before I check into a hostel, Pēteris offers me to stay at his place, since he's away for the summer.

On Sunday I come to pick up the remaining things. Most of the books are still alright, the electric teapot, dishes and flatmates' stuff as well.

On Monday I go to the police, where the owner, her husband and son are waiting for me. After a nervous hour in the waiting room, I go into the interrogation room with a list of stolen things. The total sum is 1434 euros, including: 3 guitars, Kaoss Pad 3, digital camera and Zenit. The melodica, Midi keyboard and pedal effects were left unincluded, since they were all bought used and/or cheap. Thankfully, the wooden cajon is still in Riga and unharmed.

Later on, it turns out there is a witness, who has seen (and named) three men, who drank in my flat on Friday night, as well as moving my guitars closer and closer to the door. There is a chance, that money at least could be compensated.

That concludes all I experienced and got to know.