Kočani delegation visits Gothenburg memorial, studies fire-prevention reforms

A municipal delegation from Kočani traveled to Gothenburg to see how the Swedish city rebuilt memory and safety after the devastating nightclub fire of 29 October 1998, which left 63 people dead and 213 injured. The visit combined tours of the site-turned-memorial with practical firefighter training and meetings about youth outreach and psychosocial support.

From tragedy to a memorial and prevention hub

The delegation included two firefighters, two municipal representatives and one delegate each from the Association "16 March 2025", the civic initiative "Support Kočani" and the Center for Psychosocial and Crisis Action "Malinska". They were shown the building where the fire started and the memorial centre that local survivors and relatives have established.

Giliyar Javaheri, chair of the association that runs the memorial and whose younger brother died in the blaze, told the visitors: "The majority thought we should keep it, make it a memorial centre, which we can still visit, where we can be together and where we can share the knowledge we gained from this tragedy."

Parts of the original structure remain as they were on the night of the fire; the auxiliary stairs where the arson began were left unrepaired and are still used when survivors recount the events. Milorad Stankic, who was severely injured in 1998 and lost his right leg, described what he learned from that night: "How valuable it is where you put your energy, to whom you give it and to whom you do not give it, where you should go, to whom you give your time and to whom you do not, because you know it can be interrupted like this. I lost many friends here and I was injured myself. I lost my right leg. Today I am disabled. So, I know very well what life is."

Members of the Kočani delegation and their hosts exchanged memories and experiences; this was their third meeting after two earlier visits by Gothenburg representatives to Kočani. For some families in Kočani, such as Marija Petrusova, whose son died in the Kočani fire, a memorial centre in their town still feels too soon: "Maybe it's early, but we are still angry at that place. We cannot enter there. It reminds us of the death of our children, and we do not want to be tied to that place in this way and for now we cannot allow a memorial house or memorial centre to be built there."

Alongside remembrance, Gothenburg authorities emphasised legal and practical reforms introduced after the disaster. Per Nikvist, deputy chief of the Fire and Rescue Service in Gothenburg, said: "The legislation changed in a way that shifted the focus from the incident and the response to the incident, to prevention of it happening in the first place. A greater focus is now placed on the responsibility of the owners themselves and on overall responsibility for fire protection." Regular inspections, public education in schools and compulsory alarm systems in buildings were among the measures highlighted.

The Kočani firefighters attended a demonstration by a seven-person Gothenburg crew. The exercise used a purpose-built training facility where controlled smoke, ventilation techniques, thermal imaging searches and other tactics were shown. Joakim Stin, the team leader, told the visitors: "The firefighter is of course the most important person. You must practise a lot to be able to use all these tools on the truck. Of course, our equipment is also very important."

Veteran firefighter Per Anders Lindfeld, who was among the first responders on the night of the 1998 fire, urged his Macedonian colleagues to focus on prevention and continuous practice: "I think the biggest influence you can have on citizens is — teach them about prevention. That is my advice to them. And, of course, what we do today — practise constantly. Continue to be the best in your profession." Back in Kočani, commander Dragan Apostolov said the town needs more modern equipment and additional staff: "Young people, reliable people, who will have these trainings in these training centres, whom we will take as ready-made products into our fire service and I think citizens will be more secure with new equipment and more people on the ground."

Photo: press material from the event