Skopje, 12 March 2026 (MIA) — A state inspector testified Thursday that Kochani's Pulse nightclub lacked basic fire equipment and had a locked emergency exit during the March 16 fire that killed 63 people.

The Protection and Rescue Directorate inspector told the court the investigation he took part in alongside his Probishtip, Strumica and Berovo colleagues revealed that the venue had only two fire extinguishers and a hydrant that contained no water, hose or nozzles. He also said the emergency exit was padlocked.

"The back door was locked from the inside, had no doorknob, and on top of that, it had a padlock," the inspector said. He added that the door was very narrow, had no anti-panic lighting and was sealed with Styrofoam on the outside.

He said iron bars were found on the windows of the women’s restroom. A fenced-in green area blocked ambulances and fire trucks from accessing the rear of the building.

According to the inspector, the fire spread with catastrophic speed due to the Styrofoam coating and other highly flammable construction materials.

He also highlighted a decade-long oversight failure. He said the Municipality of Kochani had not employed a dedicated protection and rescue inspector since 2012 or 2013. Because his own jurisdiction was limited to the nearby town of Vinica, he could not inspect the Kochani venue without a specific written order, he said.

The inspector noted that the building did not have a fire alarm or the safety plans required by law to stay open. He said the safety issues were severe enough to justify shutting down the club if it had been inspected before the tragedy. mr/