At least 51 people have been killed and over 100 injured after a fire in a nightclub in North Macedonia.
The fire occurred at around 2:30 am (local time) at the Pulse club in Kocani, which is around 100 km from capital Skopje. The injured have been rushed to the local hospital in Kočani and to neighbouring Stip.
The incident unfolded after around 1,500 people were attending a concert by a popular band in the country. The concert was mainly attended by young people.
North Macedonia Interior Minister Pance Toskovski said that initial reports suggest that the fire started from sparks caused by pyrotechnic devices.
Fire in a nightclub Pulse in Kočani, North Macedonia
Local news are reporting more than 1500 people were at the club when the fire started, atleast 50 casualities and many injured. #fire #pozar pic.twitter.com/MO2mR9uCYu
— Disasters Daily (@DisastersAndI) March 16, 2025
“At the moment of activating the so-called sprinklers, the sparks caught the ceiling that was made of easily flammable material after which for a very short period of time the fire spread across the whole discotheque, creating a thick smoke” Toskovski said, according to news agency AFP.
He confirmed that the fire killed at least 51 people and injured over 100 others. “According to the data we have by now, 51 persons lost their lives, and more than 100 persons are injured and transported in the hospitals in Stip, Kocani and Skopje,” he said after visiting the spot in Kocani.
