SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, (AFP) – The owner of a Dominican Republic plastics company, where an explosion that killed 37 people is believed to have originated, has been detained on involuntary manslaughter charges, the public prosecutor’s office said Thursday.

The powerful blast on August 14 shook a commercial area of San Cristobal, less than 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the capital Santo Domingo, sparking a fire and leaving 59 people injured.

“So far we are subjecting him to a coercive measure for… involuntary manslaughter for violation of the health law and the environmental law,” Jose Guerrero, one of the prosecutors handling the case, told reporters.

The prosecutor’s office is “requesting one year of preventive detention for Mr Edward Vidal, and guarantees and presentation for his wife and daughter,” Guerrero said.

Dominican authorities arrested Vidal and Maribel Sandoval, owners of the plastics company, along with their daughter, on Wednesday during a police raid at their home in San Cristobal.

A preliminary report from firefighters dated August 18, but which leaked this week, points to the company’s headquarters as the epicentre of the detonation, “where there were accumulations of gases and flammable materials, which, with sparks, ignition, heat or friction, could have generated the activation of the explosion.

“The firefighters said that in March the firm had filed a report noting the emission of highly reactive organic peroxide, which was subsequently ordered to be removed.

The blast destroyed four buildings and damaged nine others, investigators said last month.

The commercial area is now being vacated to build a municipal parking lot.

“To date, 15 people have been identified, whose remains have been handed over to their families, leaving 22 bodies in the process of being identified, some of which were only recovered in segments and others completely burned,” according to prosecutors.