Even five years after the explosion in the municipal apartment on Melnsila Street, the responsibility for what happened is still being determined in court. In the first instance, the victims won, but the Riga City Council appealed the verdict, deciding to continue the proceedings. The case has reached the Senate.
Meanwhile, the fate of the building and the losses of the residents remain unresolved, reports the TV3 program "Nothing Personal." Sarmite Dreimane lived with her family in the house on Melnsila for over thirty years. The apartment was purchased during the Soviet era, and significant funds have been invested in it over the years. The owners raised their children there and spent most of their lives. After the explosion, a meeting was held with the local government. Residents were promised quick support and solutions - people began to hope that the consequences would be addressed.
"Of course, there were loud statements - 'Yes, we will help!'... Thank you very much to Mr. Stakis - his help manifested in a handshake with my husband. Looking my husband in the eyes, he said: 'You know, we will do everything, we will help until the end, you will all get back everything, everything will be fine.' But that was all the help, and officially we had to apply to the social department, from which each received 500 euros," Sarmite said.
During the court proceedings, the Riga City Council did not seek a solution but spent years trying to prove that it was not responsible for the explosion. The criminal case regarding the explosion lasted two years. The alleged perpetrator died in the incident. Residents filed a civil lawsuit against the Riga City Council. The first-instance court ruled in favor of the victims, recognizing that the local government did not fulfill its obligations as the apartment owner. The council appealed the verdict. The District Court ruled in favor of the local government, and the case has now gone to the third instance.
The Housing and Environment Department of the Riga City Council does not intend to make any decisions until a final ruling is reached. Throughout the court process, a settlement agreement was discussed with the main condition being the allocation of equivalent apartments to the affected residents from the city. The local government was not prepared for such a peaceful resolution.
After the explosion, the fates of the residents of the building varied. Sarmite and her husband were able to purchase an apartment in Kundziņsala thanks to insurance. Others are still struggling with the consequences, and one of the residents of the building has passed away over the years. Sarmite expresses her gratitude not to institutions but to the people who were not indifferent and helped.
This year, a similar incident occurred on Bauskas Street, where an explosion in a city-owned apartment partially destroyed a residential building. The outcome of the case on Melnsila Street in court will determine the local government's responsibility in similar cases in the future. Meanwhile, the Housing and Environment Department has developed a draft of mandatory rules that include adding insurance to the rent for municipal apartments to minimize the consequences of such situations in the future. The decision on these changes is planned to be made by the deputies in the first half of this year.
