Fire in North Macedonian Improvised Nightclub Sparks Investigation into Corruption and Safety Measures

In a chaotic scene Sunday morning, a massive fire at an overcrowded nightclub in North Macedonia killed 59 people and injured 155 others.

A popular local hip-hop duo used special-effects pyrotechnics as part of their show at Club Pulse in Kocani, North Macedonia, for 500 people—double the site’s official capacity—including many teenagers and young adults. At around 2:30 a.m. local time, sparks from the pyrotechnics quickly set fire to the ceiling, which was made of highly flammable material, the BBC reported. The fire caused the roof of the single-story building to partially collapse.

There was only one accessible exit, since the only other door at the back of the venue was locked. Most of the people killed were injured from the stampede of individuals trying to exit. Many of the injured people have burns and carbon monoxide poisoning. Victims were as young as 16 years old. Multiple members of the band were also killed. Those injured range in age from 14 to 24 years old. Some of the critically wounded patients will be transported to specialized hospitals across Europe, according to The Guardian.

The venue was an “improvised nightclub” in a former carpet warehouse, local press reported, and it did not have a legal license to operate. Preliminary inspections of the site showed deficiencies in fire-extinguishing and lighting systems.

Police have detained 15 people as part of the investigation into the incident, and North Macedonian Interior Minister Pance Toskovski said that there are “grounds for suspicion that there is bribery and corruption” linked to the fire. The owner of the venue and former government officials are among those who were arrested, the Associated Press reported.

The building was still registered as an industrial facility—not a hospitality venue—but it had received a hospitality permit from the economy ministry, prosecutors told reporters on 16 March. Officials said they suspect the license was issued illegally in exchange for a bribe, according to The New York Times.

The country’s government ordered a sweeping inspection of all nightclubs and cabarets across the nation this week.

Deadly nightclub blaze leaves North Macedonia in grief and desperate for accountability https://t.co/5QJvhJVfnU

— The Associated Press (@AP) March 17, 2025

Indoor fireworks and pyrotechnics have caused many significant nightclub fires and disasters, the AP said. The danger heightens when exits are blocked or limited, sprinkler systems are not available, or when the fire could interact with other materials. In a 2013 nightclub fire in Brazil, soundproofing foam on the ceiling caught fire and released poisonous gases—killing more than 240 people.

In North Macedonia, the government declared seven days of national mourning. The fire is the biggest loss of life in the country of 1.8 million people since the Palair Macedonian Airlines Flight 301 crash in 1993.