A big fire following several explosions ripped through four of 30 flats in a building in Viršuliškių neighbourhood of Vilnius last Tuesday, claiming two lives.
All the residents could not return to their homes after the fire was put out as the entire building was declared to be unsafe due to damaged and partially collapsed structures.
“According to this morning’s data, ten residents or owners have already decided and selected the dwellings they will soon move into. Now we are just looking at the individual needs, what furniture is missing, what needs to be bought, and we will provide this to the Red Cross so that the homes can be fully furnished and made available as soon as possible,” the city mayor told reporters on Monday, adding that the authorities are in contact with the rest of the residents about the allowances and other needs.
The municipality can offer enough social homes to the residents affected by the fire, but not all of them intend to move there, according to Benkunskas.
“There are certainly enough of them for today. Not everyone wants to move. Others own more residential property in Vilnius. These are very individual needs and we are trying to listen to all of them,” he said.
The mayor also said that a commission set up to investigate the accident will meet on Monday to decide on the next steps to be taken to isolate openings of the burnt-down building in order to prevent the spread of hazardous substance.