Employees at the Biolanta factory told investigators from the Arson Crimes Investigation Directorate (DAEE) that, over the past few months, an unpleasant smell of gas had appeared intermittently—sometimes stronger, sometimes weaker.

According to well-informed sources, the overall conclusion drawn from most testimonies is that factory workers had smelled gas leaking from the pipelines and had informed their supervisors accordingly.

Even the company’s owner admitted that on one occasion, while at the premises, he too noticed a smell—though not a strong one—which he believed, as he said, was coming from the sewage system.

The shift supervisor who was arrested stated that some employees had informed him about the strange smell and that he, in turn, passed the information on to the production manager.

As for the third person arrested, the safety technician, he claimed that he was unaware of anything, stating that no one had informed him about the issue.

Months-Long Propane Leak

According to the detailed investigation carried out by Fire Service officials, the cause of the deadly explosion was a propane leak that had been ongoing for several months. The gas accumulated in the basement, and a spark triggered the massive explosion that claimed five lives.

Investigators are now examining whether the company had taken all required safety measures.

When asked whether gas detection sensors existed on the ground floor, sources familiar with the case explained that this cannot yet be determined, as the area was completely destroyed. However, the building predated the incident, and during previous inspections it had been confirmed that detectors were installed on the ground floor.

In this case, however, the detectors would not have identified the leak. “We are not talking about a gas cloud or something easily detectable,” sources explained. “There was an odor coming from the basement or through drainage channels. To be detected, a specific concentration of gas is required.”

What is certain is that there were no detectors in the basement—a space where detectors are not mandatory. According to information, the basement was not even officially declared. Testimonies indicate it was used as a storage area and housed a water pump, while the owner reportedly said he had recently taken steps to legalize or regularize the space.

How the Leak Occurred

The cause of the propane leak appears to be linked to asphalt paving works carried out on the road above the propane pipelines during the summer. Heavy vehicles are believed to have caused damage beneath the surface, puncturing the pipes.

It is recalled that propane was transferred from storage tanks via pipelines running beneath the road and embedded in concrete.

Following the arrest of the business owner and two company officials, authorities are adding new evidence to the case file and shaping the charges in order to assign responsibility.

Key Questions Under Investigation

Three major questions have emerged:

• Why was the corrosion of the pipelines not detected?
• Why were warnings about the smell of gas inside the factory ignored?
• What inspections were carried out, and how were they certified?

Crucial to the next stage of the investigation will be the entries in the Fire Safety, Inspection, and Maintenance Log of the facility: what maintenance or repair work may have been carried out, what issues were identified, and how those responsible responded.

Another major question concerns the timeline of the pipeline corrosion. According to sources with extensive knowledge of the matter, corrosion does not occur overnight—it is a gradual process that takes time. How, then, did it progress without anyone noticing?