Memorial plaque placed at site of Tetovo modular hospital fire
On 8 September 2026 a plaque was anonymously installed at the site of the 8 September 2021 fire that killed 14 people.
Today, 8 September 2026, a memorial plaque was placed at the site of the modular hospital in Tetovo, marking five years since the fire on 8 September 2021 that killed 14 people and injured dozens.
Of the 14 victims, 12 were patients being treated for COVID-19 and two were their relatives who were in the facility. The event remains one of the gravest domestic tragedies from the pandemic period.
The plaque was installed by anonymous individuals; those who placed it have not made their identity public.
Judicial outcomes and a closed probe
After a lengthy court process, the directors of the Tetovo Clinical Hospital, Florian Besimi and Artan Etemi, were each sentenced to three years in prison for serious offences against public safety. The legal entity, Tetovo Clinical Hospital, was fined €1,300,000.
Separately, in August 2026 the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office for Prosecution of Organized Crime and Corruption closed the inquiry into the public procurement for the construction of 19 modular hospitals across the country. According to the Prosecutor's Office, no grounds were found to suspect abuse of office or any other criminal offence prosecutable ex officio.
Five years after the blaze, the memory of the 14 victims remains vivid for families and the local community, while the modular hospital fire in Tetovo continues to be remembered as a defining tragedy of the pandemic era in the country.
Photo: press material from the event
