Firefighter testimony continues trial of 13 police over Pulse nightclub fire
Firefighter told court crews arrived at 02:35; prosecution says failures by officers contributed to 63 deaths and over 230 injuries.
Trial of 13 police commanders and officers continues after testimony from a firefighter-rescuer who described efforts at the scene of the Pulse nightclub blaze in Kočani that killed 63 young people on 16 March 2025.
Blagojcho Paunov, a firefighter-rescuer called by the defence, told the court that his unit received the alarm at 02:35. "We parked about 10 metres from the entrance. There were many people lying down and conscious; we could not get closer. I remember that when we reached the entrance door there were many people jammed at the door. At that moment there was only a small amount of smoke visible. Other fire trucks were arriving as well," Paunov said.
Paunov also told the court he had told one of the police officers present, Dragan Petrushev (called Kazak), to organise people so rescuers could pull out as many injured as possible. Asked by a defence lawyer, "Did the accused Petrushev help you?", Paunov replied: "We pulled people out together as mixed teams."
Firefighters struggled inside; fire contained hours later
Inside the building Paunov said he saw people trapped, suffocated, burned and still alive asking for help. He told the court the fire was only localised after around two hours — about 04:00 — and fully extinguished by 05:00. He explained crews could not step over the bodies at the door immediately and only began extinguishing the area five to ten minutes later.
The prosecution alleges that overcrowding and mass pushing toward the exits caused people to fall in the corridor and block escape routes. The indictment charges the 13 police officers — Dejan Saltirovski, Vancho Georgievski, Marija Manevska, Tomo Donev, Dragan Petrushev, Kire Bogatinov, Stojanche Filipov, Blagica Miteva, Kristina Nikolova, Mazlu Ramadanov, Darko Miloshevski, Martin Arsovski and Marjan Radevski — with failing to follow an action-control plan approved on 14 March 2025 and for not carrying out required checks within the remit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. They are accused of not performing a "risk assessment and risk management" demanded by standard procedures and of not preventing the activation of pyrotechnics during the control operation.
The indictment says the defendants' omissions contributed to 63 deaths and more than 230 people suffering severe, life‑threatening and lasting injuries. Prosecutor Spasenka Andonova in cross-examination reminded the court that many of the rescues that night were carried out by civilians, some without even a police coat. Defence witnesses and other testimonies had also described police refusing to help with the explanation: "We are not trained for this."
Photo: SDK.MK)
