North Macedonia nightclub fire kills 51 people and injures more than 100

Blaze broke out in eastern town of Kocani and is believed to have been caused by use of pyrotechnic devices

A nightclub fire in North Macedonia that killed 51 people was reportedly started by pyrotechnics igniting flammable ceiling material during a concert. Reuters

A fire that tore through a nightclub in North Macedonia killed 51 revellers attending a hip-hop concert at the venue, with more than 100 injured, the country's Interior Minister said on Sunday.

The fire broke out in Pulse, a nightclub in the eastern town of Kocani, where more than 1,000 mostly young fans had crammed in to see the hip-hop duo DNK popular in the country.

“According to the data we have by now, 51 persons lost their lives,” Interior Minister Pance Toskovski said after visiting the scene.

“More than 100 persons are injured,” Mr Toskovski said, adding that the wounded had been taken to the local hospital in the town as well as to the capital Skopje and the town of Stip about 30km to the south.

The concert began at about midnight, while online media outlet SDK, reported that the fire started at 3am.

Rescue workers stand in front of a nightclub after a massive fire broke out early on Sunday in Kocani, North Macedonia. AP

According to Mr Toskovski, the fire was probably caused by the use of pyrotechnic devices “used for light effect at the concert”.

“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,” Mr Toskovski said.

Helicopters ferried some of the wounded to the capital Skope's hospitals.

Videos posted on social networks and shot before the fire show the use of stage jets, a type of indoor fireworks used during concerts.

Other videos published by media in the Balkan country show the entrance to the building blackened by flames.

In September 2021, a major fire killed 14 people at a unit for Covid-19 patients in the north-western town of Tetovo.