Nightclub Fire Kills at Least 59 in North Macedonia

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Nightclub Fire Kills at Least 59 in North Macedonia
The tragedy occurred after fireworks set the club’s roof on fire during a pop concert, the country’s interior minister said.

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Pyrotechnics appeared to have started the fire, which killed nearly 60 people and injured more than 150 others. Alexandros Avramidis/Reuters

By Amelia Nierenberg and Alisa Dogramadzieva
Amelia Nierenberg reported from London, and Alisa Dogramadzieva from Belgrade, Serbia.
March 16, 2025

At least 59 people were killed and 155 others were injured when a fire broke out overnight in a nightclub in North Macedonia, the country’s interior minister, Panche Toshkovski, said on Sunday. The blaze — the deadliest national tragedy in recent memory — has horrified the small country in southeastern Europe. … “The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable,” Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski wrote on X.

The police have detained 15 people, including the manager of the club and the son of its owner, Mr. Toshkovski, the interior minister, said. He said that the company that ran the club did not have a license. He added that several former or current officials had been arrested in connection with the case. … “This license — as many other things in the past in Macedonia — is connected to bribery and corruption,” he said. “But I want to tell the Macedonian public that, unlike other times in the past, the people that issue these illegal licenses will be named and be held responsible for it.”

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The fire is one of several deadly infernos in clubs around the world in recent years. The rooms are often dark, crowded and loud. People can struggle to evacuate quickly — or even realize that there is an emergency. … Last year, at least 29 people were killed in a club fire in Istanbul. In 2023, 13 people died when a club complex caught fire in Spain. A 2015 fire killed at least 27 people in Romania, and one in 2013 killed at least 233 people in Brazil. In 2003, a fire at a club in Rhode Island, which was started by pyrotechnics, killed 100 people.

Ognen Cancarevik, a reporter for Telma, a national television station, said in a phone interview that Kocani — a small town in a region where many people work in agriculture — was devastated by the tragedy. … “People are angry,” he said. “People want answers, and people want to know who is responsible.” … Young people often leave the country to look for work or higher salaries abroad, he said, and many Macedonians are frustrated by low salaries and corruption. … “The morale is low,” Mr. Cancarevik said. “The last thing we need is a tragedy of this scale where young and innocent kids die.”

Yan Zhuang contributed reporting.

Amelia Nierenberg is a breaking news reporter for The Times in London, covering international news. More about Amelia Nierenberg

A version of this article appears in print on March 17, 2025, Section A, Page 8 of the New York edition with the headline: Club Fire in North Macedonia Kills Dozens. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe