Expert: Polyurethane foam was present on Pulse nightclub's dropped ceiling; 2012 interventions scrutinized

Expert findings presented in court on the materials and structural changes in the Pulse nightclub in Kočani identified polyurethane acoustic foam on the lowered ceiling and examined reconstruction work carried out in 2012, court testimony showed.

Goran Markovski, a professor at the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Skopje who acted as an expert witness, answered defence questions for the first accused, Dejan Jovanov, and explained how his team concluded that polyurethane foam had been installed on the dropped ceiling. Markovski said no physical remnants of the foam were found because it had burned completely, but that the conclusion rests on photographic evidence, video recordings, other expert reports and traces discovered inside the venue.

Markovski told the court: "That is actually the main problem. The entire foam burned and practically fragments of foam that could serve for construction expertise could not be found in the building, even though we tried for hours to locate them." He added on a related point: "Unfortunately none remained, because the whole thing burned."

Speed of fire spread and construction interventions

The expert said the assessment of how quickly the fire spread relied on several sources, including witness interviews, statements to emergency services, conversations with the Kočani fire brigade, footage circulated on social networks, and professional knowledge about the behaviour of such materials in fires. In court Markovski summarized: "Based on hearings, statements, sentences in conversations with the competent services in Fire, with which the fire was reported… that the fire spread very quickly through the whole building, and from the rescue… This assessment is based on conversations held with the Fire Brigade in Kočani, on footage available on social networks that were provided to us, and on the understanding of the behaviour of these materials in case of fire."

When questioned about partition walls and their fire resistance, Markovski said the gypsum board partition walls met the necessary fire-resistance standards. Defence counsel Ivana Kocevska challenged his qualifications for fire-related issues; Markovski replied that his speciality is structural engineering but that he teaches and assesses fire action on structures: "I do not agree with your assertions, because one of the load effects of many of the structures that I have taught is also fire action."

Markovski also addressed structural strengthening executed during the 2012 renovation, including the addition of steel beams to the intermediate floor. He clarified that the anchoring was done to a floor slab rather than a foundation slab, because the building had no foundation slab, and that the interventions aimed to secure a 12-centimetre reinforced concrete slab against increased loads arising from the illegal conversion to a nightclub. On whether there is firmer proof of the exact timing of that intervention, the expert said: "You cannot find a greater proof than the testimony of the one who carried it out."

Relatives of victims attended the hearing. Aleksandar Naunov, father of one of the deceased children, called the expert report clear and precise and urged that institutional failures identified by the findings be pursued. He told the court: "For us, the parents and families of the deceased young people, it is especially important that the expert report does not remain only on the condition of the building, but also points to the omissions by the competent authorities, those who had legal powers and obligations to act. And precisely here lies the essence. The defence attempts to challenge the expert report, but attacking the experts does not erase the documents, facts and established omissions. We do not want to get into the 'noise' of the defence, because that would overshadow what is truly important — the solidity of the expert report, the facts and the evidence on which it is based. This facility did not operate for a single day, therefore it must be determined how it was possible for it to operate and where were the institutions that had the legal obligation to act. We are not asking for conviction without evidence, we ask that no one hide behind function, institution and someone else's jurisdiction. Everyone who had an obligation to act and did not act — must be held accountable! If this is confirmed by the evidence, for our 63 angels we will not accept silence for any omission. The truth must be complete, and responsibility must have a name and surname."

The trial is being presided over by Judge Diana Gruevska-Ilievska and the indictment is represented by a team of 15 public prosecutors. The Pulse nightclub fire in Kočani on 16 March 2025, during a performance by the group DNK, killed 63 people and injured more than 200 — one of the deadliest peacetime tragedies in the country’s recent history.

Photo: press material from the event