Riga Mayor Viesturs Kleinbergs (The Progressives) has promised a different outcome for the building damaged in a gas explosion on Bauskas Street than for the building on Melnsila Street in Āgenskalns, which has remained partially ruined and unrestored since a gas explosion in 2020.
The two cases are similar — in both buildings, powerful gas explosions occurred in apartments owned by the municipality, partially destroying the structures. Residents of the Melnsila Street building want the Riga municipality to restore the house to the condition and appearance it had before the explosion, but City Hall has not agreed, and legal proceedings over the issue have been ongoing for several years.
Speaking this morning in an interview on Latvian Radio, Kleinbergs said that for now the municipality has identified the costs of hiring a structural engineer, but the decision on covering those costs will have to be made by the community of owners of the Bauskas Street building, as the City Council is not allowed to pay for it unilaterally.
Similarly, the decision on repairing the building cannot be made by the Riga mayor alone. Nevertheless, Kleinbergs promised that the situation seen on Melnsila Street will not be repeated at the Bauskas Street building. In any case, the mayor said he will initiate discussions and look for solutions.
Kleinbergs noted that overall, the apartment where the explosion occurred had not been neglected
— the tenant had managed without social assistance. The politician also acknowledged that municipal apartments are not insured.
As reported, two people were killed in the gas explosion in a multi-apartment building on Bauskas Street in Torņakalns — the individual who had been carrying out illegal activities involving the gas pipeline in one of the apartments, and an emergency service employee of gas supply company Gaso, who had responded to a call about a possible gas leak. Two other people were injured.
The explosion in the five-story residential building was caused by an illegally damaged gas pipeline. The blast partially destroyed the fourth and fifth floors of the building, as well as the roof.
The building is managed by Latvijas namsaimnieks and contains 74 apartments, four of which are owned by the municipality. According to preliminary, officially unconfirmed information, the explosion occurred due to an illegal gas connection in a municipally owned apartment.
Following the explosion, the building has been declared unsafe and its use prohibited. The municipality’s City Development Department has instructed the building’s owners to immediately engage a certified construction specialist and carry out a technical inspection of the building. This is required to determine the extent of the damage, assess whether partial use of the building may be permitted, and identify possible restoration scenarios.
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