Early this morning, 59 people died in a nightclub fire caused by sparks from pyrotechnics in Kocani, North Macedonia, reports the Associated Press. Over 155 additional people were injured, 20 of whom are currently in critical condition, due to burns, smoke inhalation, and a stampede that took place when attendees tried to escape the Club Pulse concert. DNK, a popular local hip-hop duo, were performing at the venue when sparks from their pyrotechnics hit the ceiling, which was made of highly flammable material, and rapidly spread. According to the BBC, only one member of the band survived and is being treated in a hospital.

“We even tried to get out through the bathroom, only to find bars [on the windows],” Marija Taseva, a 19-year-old survivor, told AP. “I somehow managed to get out. I fell down the stairs and they ran over me, trampled me. I barely stayed alive and could hardly breathe.” Her 25-year-old sister died trying to escape the fire.

According to Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski, a preliminary inspection revealed that Club Pulse was operating without a proper license and the number of people attending the concert was over twice its capacity of 250. Toshkovski told reporters that they have detained 15 people for questioning, adding, “We have grounds for suspicion that there is bribery and corruption in this case.”

North Macedonia’s government ordered a large-scale inspection of all nightclubs and cabarets across the country over the next three days to ensure safety measures are being upheld. The government also declared seven days of national mourning.

Video footage from the Club Pulse fire, shared by the BBC, shows the moment that sparks from DNK’s upward-facing flares lit up a small portion of the ceiling above them. As the fire starts to spread wider, someone can be seen attempting to put it out with a fire extinguisher, but the flames and smoke continue to spread too quickly.

Pyrotechnic errors have caused numerous concert fires over the years, in both the United States and abroad. In 2016, the Oakland, California, converted warehouse Ghost Ship caught fire, killing 36 people, sending two of the venue’s operators to prison, and prompting city officials to clamp down on unofficial venues. Over 100 people died during Great White’s 2003 concert at the Station in West Warwick, Rhode Island, including the band’s guitarist, during a pyrotechnic display gone wrong. Most infamously, Cocoanut Grove in Boston, Massachusetts, caught fire back in 1942, killing 492 people in the deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history; it led to new requirements for sprinkler systems and accessible exits.

https://pitchfork.com/news/59-dead-in-pyrotechnics-fire-at-nightclub-in-north-macedonia