The prosecutors said the criminal proceedings cannot continue and the pre-trial investigation must be closed as the only suspect had died in the fire.
"The investigation has revealed that the flat’s owner acted dangerously and criminally due to his mental condition – a chronic mental disorder which worsened after his wife died," the prosecutor’s office said.
The fire broke out and a subsequent explosion happened in the residential building on 2 January 2024, killing a 73-year-old man and a 7-year-old boy. It was found out that the man caused the deadly fire as he had stored some petrol and diesel in his flat.
The building suffered major damaged, with some ceilings and walls caving in. Thirty residents were evacuated, three suffered from smoke inhalation. A prosecutor had said that suicide was being investigated as the cause of the explosion.
Vilnius City undertook to rebuild the damaged block of flats.
On 13 November, Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas announced that residents will be able to return to their homes by December at the latest.
The works cost EUR 1.3 million, the mayor said. Of this amount, EUR 700,000 was covered by insurance, just over EUR 300,000 was provided by the Government and the rest came from the municipal budget.
„Residents will contribute up to 5% of the total reconstruction costs,“ said Benkunskas.