The tragic explosion in Elbasan, which killed two people and left 10 others injured, has reignited the debate over safety in residential buildings and the risks posed by the use of gas cylinders. Construction engineer Erion Softa is calling for urgent measures, proposing changes to the legal framework and restrictions, up to a ban, on their use in residential buildings.
According to the engineer, in the case of the five-storey building in Elbasan, the damage was not the result of interventions in the structure of the building, but of carelessness that should serve as a wake-up call. “The buildings were not built to withstand explosions like this. We are not dealing with damage to the building’s structure due to an intervention, but due to carelessness that needs a solution”, Softa stated.
He called for gas cylinders not to be sold and used without strict safety criteria, stressing that one of the solutions is to ban them in apartment buildings or to establish a mandatory protocol for their use. “Gas cylinders cannot be sold normally, they cannot be used in shared spaces. Their use in such buildings must be banned or a clear protocol must be introduced so that such incidents no longer happen”, the engineer emphasized.
Softa also underlined the responsibility of sellers and users. According to him, only certified cylinders should circulate on the market, while installation and the way they are used should be checked on site by competent persons. “Gas cylinders must be removed from use. The people who sell them must have certification, and users must undergo an on-site inspection of how they are used”, he said.
To illustrate the risk posed by these cylinders, the engineer also made a shocking comparison with explosive materials, warning of the consequences such an incident could have in a residential building. “One such cylinder has the same effect as several kilograms of TNT”, Erion Softa stated.