The blaze in Kocani appeared to have been ignited by pyrotechnics used as part of a local pop band’s performance, the interior minister said.
The fire broke out during a performance by a local pop group around 2:35 a.m. Sunday, Panche Toshkovski said during an earlier news conference. The blaze appeared to have been ignited by pyrotechnics that were used as part of the performance, he said, causing the roof to catch fire while concertgoers were still inside.
Video on social media verified by Reuters appeared to show sparklers onstage causing the low ceiling to ignite while the musicians performed.
At least 152 people were receiving medical treatment at hospitals throughout the country, including 18 in critical condition, the Health Ministry said on Facebook.
It was not immediately clear how many people were in the venue when the fire erupted or how many of the victims were concertgoers.
Local outlets identified the venue as Club Pulse, which was hosting a performance by the pop duo DNK on Saturday night, according to its Instagram page. Photographs of the nightclub on Sunday morning showed the building’s charred exterior surrounded by emergency responders.
Officials issued arrest warrants for four people in connection with the blaze, Toshkovski said Sunday.
North Macedonia’s public prosecutors have also opened an investigation into the fire, with initial findings indicating that the blaze was caused by the use of pyrotechnic materials, state-owned news outlet MIA reported, citing the country’s state prosecutor, Ljupco Kocevski.
In a statement on Facebook, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said it was a sad day for North Macedonia. “The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the pain of families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable,” he wrote.
The tragedy is among the deadliest in recent memory to unfold in North Macedonia, a small, landlocked country of 2.1 million people in southeastern Europe that gained its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. The town of Kocani is about 60 miles east of North Macedonia’s capital, Skopje.
