Riga grants 255,650 euros to residents of blast-damaged building

Riga City Council will provide 255,650 euros in one-off repair grants to residents of the apartment building at Bauskas Street 15, which was damaged in an explosion, LSM reported. The decision was taken by the council’s Finance and Administrative Affairs Committee on Thursday.

Thirty-five apartment owners or tenants will receive grants to restore homes that can be repaired. The municipality will later verify whether the work was carried out in accordance with the stated conditions.

Residents have also received other assistance. Riga’s Social Service paid crisis benefits totalling 77,220 euros to 70 households, while 17 households received certificates entitling them to food parcels and hygiene products.

The Department of Housing and Environment received 25 requests for emergency assistance and rented temporary accommodation to 11 people from affected apartments.

As one of the owners of apartments in the building, the municipality is also involved in restoring the property. A technical inspection has been completed, a reinforcement project has been prepared, support structures have been installed and a conservation project has been drawn up.

Riga is preparing amendments to municipal regulations to increase repair grants for residential premises damaged in a natural disaster or accident. Amendments to national regulations have also been proposed to allow temporary accommodation for residents when an apartment building cannot be restored within a year, until the building is returned to service, but for no longer than five years.

On January 2, an explosion caused structures to collapse on the upper floors of the five-storey apartment building at 15 Bauskas Street in Riga. Two people died in the incident: a resident and an employee of the gas company Gaso.

Gaso concluded that the explosion was caused by a gas leak. A man who rented a municipal apartment in the building had installed an illegal gas connection. A certified construction expert determined that the damaged residential building could technically be restored.