Overview
- A multi‑storey building in Görlitz collapsed in mid‑May, killing three people, and local authorities continue to suspect a natural‑gas explosion while the formal investigation remains open.
- Officials and industry experts say events like the Görlitz blast are extremely rare and that modern gas networks are generally safe when technical rules and inspections are followed.
- Responsibility for gas safety is split: network operators manage pipes up to the house connection and property owners are legally responsible for internal installations and annual professional servicing.
- Operators including Mitnetz Gas and Stadtwerke Görlitz say they run routine checks, perform cellar and house‑connection air tests, use trenchless renewal methods and have set aside capital for renewing older pipes (Mitnetz Gas ~€54 million for 2026).
- Public safety advice stresses that gas is odorised for leak detection and that anyone who smells gas should ventilate, avoid switching electrical devices and immediately call the network operator using the emergency number on the gas meter.