Residents and police have theories about the cause of the explosion at the store in Pastende 0 10

Cars passing by the Mini Citro store stop to look at the aftermath of yesterday's explosion, reporters from TV3 report. Residents of nearby houses are also watching the events unfold at the building. Dace, walking her dog Tero, shares that the road for cars is blocked, but pedestrians can walk through everywhere.

"I was at home. A loud explosion — the house shook. I didn’t understand what was happening. Sirens could be heard, but I didn’t realize right away. About twenty minutes later, I went for a walk with my dog on our usual path — and then I saw all this horror," the woman recalls.

Metal barriers have been set up around the partially collapsed building. Where just days ago groceries could be bought, workers with trucks and construction equipment are now present.

The day after the explosion, debris is actively being cleared from around the store. Two saleswomen were injured in the incident. Both were taken to the hospital with minor injuries and are in satisfactory condition.

According to local residents, the injured women are from the same village. Various theories about the cause of the explosion are circulating among the people.

"(Degpunktā: They say there was no electricity in the village before this?) Yes. (Degpunktā: Is that true?) Yes. So, perhaps something built up... I think so, I don’t know. We had a planned power outage," says a local resident.

"I was driving home, it was around one in the afternoon. I saw that a generator was running. Apparently, the store was operating on the generator. As for the heating — it’s hard to say," Dace adds.

After the explosion, the building not only partially collapsed, but part of the roof also caught fire — the fire covered an area of two square meters. An investigation has now been initiated, and the police have already drawn initial conclusions.

"After receiving initial information about this incident, a criminal process was initiated under Chapter 13 of the Criminal Law, which pertains to crimes against human health. Currently, the circumstances of the incident are being clarified, and according to preliminary information, there are grounds to believe that a heating boiler exploded. After the incident, security was also organized at the explosion site to prevent new incidents that could occur in the event of further building collapse. Information has been received that there may have been a disruption in the power supply to the building," says Ansis Zanders, head of the Northern Kurzeme division of the Kuldiga regional police.

This store was a popular shopping spot among the residents of Pastende, so they hope it will be restored — if not in the same building, then in another.

"We have only one store in Pastende, so whatever happens, happens. I hope it will be restored, and something will happen. On the other hand, it’s only five kilometers to Talsi, the bus runs — so it’s not such a big deal," Dace is confident.

The Citro store chain refrains from further comments. Whether the building will be allowed to be used after the construction debris is cleared is yet to be decided by the Talsi County construction management.