The butane gas explosion registered at 1:34 PM in a building on carrer de Venero, in Poblenou, left five of the 12 homes uninhabitable and the rest of the building without water or electricity. The blast occurred while a neighbor was cooking.
The cut in supplies and the lack of immediate housing alternatives have shifted the focus of the emergency to the day after. While the water service began to recover this Wednesday, the electricity will take longer to return and there is still no concrete date, according to the councilor of Sant Martí, David Escudé.
Five apartments were left uninhabitable and nine residents were rehoused
Three homes cannot be occupied due to direct damage from the explosion and two others due to water flooding. The rest of the building was also affected because it lost its water and electricity supply.
The Barcelona City Council activated psychological support from the outset through the teams of the Centre d'Urgències i Emergències Socials de Barcelona. In addition, the CUESB housed nine residents from two families for a maximum period of three days, which ends this Thursday.
That accommodation could be extended for a few more days. Nevertheless, several residents are demanding more support while they await a solution for their apartments.
"We feel unprotected, helpless, harmed" - Carmen, a resident of the building
Jordi, who lives in the building with a two-year-old child and has part of his apartment burned, asked the City Council to put pressure on the owner. In his words, they need more help.
Ana Maria summarized the daily situation of the residents who remain in the building by stating that living without electricity or water is almost impossible.
The City Council places responsibility on the building owner
The municipal government maintains that the responsibility lies with the owner and their insurer. Both parties are seeking case-by-case solutions after a joint inspection with municipal technicians.
The Poblenou Neighbors Association, for its part, denounces that neither the owner nor the insurer has offered a housing alternative during the rehabilitation works. The neighborhood entity also warns that these works could be prolonged without a defined deadline.
Meanwhile, David Escudé specified that the water recovery began this Wednesday, but the restoration of the electrical supply will require more time.
The Mossos ruled out criminal evidence after the initial inspection
The initial investigation does not point to a criminal cause. The Central Unit for Ocular Inspection of the Mossos d'Esquadra concluded after the first inspections at the scene that there are no criminal indications.
The relocation activated by the CUESB affects nine residents from two families and the initial maximum period of three days ends this Thursday.