HELSINKI—Eight people, some of them foreign nationals, died early Wednesday in a fire at a building housing a hostel that authorities said was operating illegally in the center of Riga, the Latvian capital. Firefighters and rescuers from the Latvian State Fire and Rescue Service said they were alerted to the scene on Merkel street in the heart of Riga at about 5 a.m. The building’s sixth floor and roof were on fire, and rescuers found eight people dead. They evacuated a further 24 people, news agency Baltic News Service said. At least six people were hospitalized with burns and smoke inhalation. Latvian state TV broadcast footage of flames pouring out of the top of the building, multiple fire engines, and a ladder extending to the top, from where two firefighters were aiming a hose at the blaze. Latvian authorities and Riga Mayor Martins Stakis said the state-owned building was housing …