The public prosecutor of the state, Ljupčo Kocevski, emphasized that today, public prosecutors inspected the “Puls” nightclub in Kočani and found many irregularities.
Kocevski stated that it was discovered that the building lacked a hydrant network, there were insufficient fire extinguishing devices, an insufficient number of doors, and the roof was not fire-resistant. Additionally, the building was intended for light industry, not hospitality.
“I have formed a prosecutorial team, consisting of two prosecutors from Skopje, two from the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Kočani, and one from Štip, with the suggestion that another prosecutor from the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Štip be employed during the day. A series of activities have been undertaken by order of the public prosecutor for an autopsy of the deceased.
An arrest order was issued for anyone whose actions or inactions contributed to the incident, and the investigation will examine their role. There is an order to examine a number of items. A proposal was made to issue orders for the temporary seizure of footage from security cameras at the Kočani Basic Court. An order was issued for the seizure of documentation from the nightclub. A search warrant was also issued for a house and other properties in Kočani.
An inspection at the scene has been conducted by public prosecutors, but it has not been completed and will continue tomorrow.
I will also engage 3-5 more public prosecutors from the Skopje Public Prosecutor’s Office, as this is a complex case and many other things still need to be investigated.
From today’s inspection at the scene of the building, the following conditions were found:
- The building lacked a hydrant network or hydrants.
- There was an insufficient number of PPE devices, with only two available.
- There were not enough doors, and besides the entrance, there was only one improvised back door, which was locked with a padlock, without a handle on the inside, and closed with drywall.
- There was no access for firefighting vehicles. The interior of the building was drywall, but without fire-resistant features. The ceiling did not have fire-resistant suspended features for at least 30 minutes. There was no door closing system, nor a fire alarm system.
- The building was also improperly covered with soundproofing materials that were easily flammable.
- Pyrotechnic materials were used illegally without the appropriate permits, and without a company to handle the ignition of pyrotechnic devices.
- The State Construction and Urban Inspectorate were also present. The building is registered as a light industrial business building with an area of 419 square meters. No transformation into a hospitality facility has occurred. “Despite the fact that the building has not been transformed, it has an operating permit from the Ministry of Economy as a catering facility, issued 15 years ago,” Kocevski said, according to reports from Klani in North Macedonia.
