“A car stashed with smuggled cigarettes was being inspected and this car was the source of the fire. A detailed inspection was needed, during which the fire broke out. Hiding places were found,” Irmina Frolova–Milašienė, spokeswoman for the customs authority, told ELTA.

When the fire broke out, the officers backed away from the car and called the fire brigade. The fire spread further before firefighters came.

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The police earlier said that the fire started when a Porsche Cayenne was inspected. The car, the inspection hangar and part of an administrative building burnt down.

Traffic at the checkpoint was suspended in both directions – from Lithuania and Belarus, a spokesman for the State Border Guard Service earlier told ELTA. It is due to resume within two hours and additional customs officers are being deployed, Lithuanian Customs said.

The Medininkai checkpoint handles long queues of lorries on regular days after the other border crossings were closed.