Skopje, 5 February 2026 (MIA) — The Kochani Fire Department got the call about the nightclub fire at 2:35 am and the fire was extinguished around 4 am, according to witnesses who took the stand Thursday in the Pulse fire trial.

Firefighter Blagoj Paunov, one of the first firefighters to arrive at the scene, said he had gotten there five minutes after the call. He said many people had been trapped inside the nightclub but the fire was not visible from outside, with only some smoke coming out of the front door.

"When we arrived at the scene, we were instructed by police officers to park right next to the nighclub. When we came out, many people were in the parking lot itself, lying on the ground. There were also people who had fallen on the stairs, and there were several people stuck at the front door pleading for help," Paunov said.

Soon a second fire truck arrived, followed by two more fire trucks. 

Kochani Fire Department commander Dragan Apostolov also took the stand. He said he was at home on the night of the tragedy. He received a phone call about the fire at 2:47 am. 

He said he immediately notified all shift commanders and asked the Vinica, Shtip, Sveti Nikole and Probishtip fire departments to send help.

He said all nine fire trucks from the Kochani Fire Department and all firefighters were battling the blazes.

"After arriving at 2:55 am, I immediately headed to the facility. Only smoke was coming out of the front door. The blazes were inside. The ceiling, the bar and the stage were on fire. There were many children pleading for help. With equipment and oxygen, I went inside the building, where my colleagues were already pulling people out," Apostolov said.

"Others were heading off the fire with water. I went inside with the water jet and made a fan of water to reduce the temperature so the fire wouldn't burn us all to ashes, while the others were pulling people out," he said.

Judge Dijana Gruevska Ilievska is presiding over the trial.

During the previous hearings, several witnesses described the panic and chaos that ensued when flames and smoke engulfed the crowded nightclub. They also spoke about the consequences they still suffer.

The fire that broke out in the Pulse nightclub in Kochani on March 16 killed 63 people and injured over 200. The venue was packed with mostly young people attending a concert by hip-hop duo DNK when sparks from pyrotechnic devices set the ceiling on fire.

At the start of the trial, the prosecution, represented by a team of 15 public prosecutors, said evidence would show that the Pulse nighclub was a death trap from the beginning, the result of systemic negligence and a series of institutional failures.

Thirty-four people and three legal entities have been charged over the deadly fire, including owners, managers, inspectors, former mayors, security guards and civil servants. mr/