Kočani nightclub fire

Historical eventMarch 162025

Kočani nightclub fire

A fire breaks out in a nightclub in Kočani, North Macedonia, killing at least 59 people and injuring 155 others.

1st anniversary in 2026

Everything on March 16Original source
Photo: Тоше Огњанов · Public domain

In context

When
Sunday, March 16 20251 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
21st century · 2020s
Anniversary
1st in 2026
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 2025-03-16.

Deaths reported: 63. Casualties: 193.

What came before

Background The nightclub was situated in a building formerly used as a carpet warehouse. [ 1 ] It was described as an "improvised nightclub" by local reporters and, according to authorities, did not have a legal licence to operate [ 2 ] but had been doing so for several years before the fire. [ 3 ] According to interior minister Panče Toškovski , the building was only certified for light industry and not catering. [ 4 ] One resident of Kočani,

What happened

On 16 March 2025, a fire at the Pulse nightclub in Kočani, North Macedonia, killed 63 people and injured 193. The fire started when sparks from indoor fireworks hit the ceiling and set it alight, rapidly enveloping the venue in thick and toxic smoke. The nightclub was unlicensed and broke numerous safety standards: among other things, it lacked sprinklers and sufficient emergency exits and only had a single fire extinguisher.

March 16 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 2012Sachin Tendulkar
  2. 2014Crimea
  3. 2015Teddy Sinclair
  4. 2016March 2016 Maiduguri bombings
  5. 20162016 Peshawar bus bombing
  6. 20202020 stock market crash
  7. 20212021 Atlanta spa shootings
  8. 2022Mariupol theatre airstrike
  9. 20222022 Fukushima earthquake
  10. 2025Kočani nightclub fire
  11. 20262026 Maiduguri bombings

Also in 2025

  • September 9IsraelSix people are killed when Israel carries out an airstrike on Doha in a failed attempt to decapitate the Hamas leadership.
  • September 92025 Russian drone incursion into PolandSeveral Russian drones incur on Polish airspace and are subsequently shot down, marking the first time a NATO member has engaged Russian…
  • September 11Jair BolsonaroFormer Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison for his involvement in a coup plot.
  • September 11Progress MS-32Progress MS-32 is launched to resupply the International Space Station. It is the 300th spacecraft launched to the ISS.
  • September 17Strategic Mutual Defence AgreementSaudi Arabia and Pakistan sign the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement.
  • October 142025 Malagasy coup d'étatA coup d'état successfully overthrows Malagasy president Andry Rajoelina.
  • July 8Hurricane BerylHurricane Beryl makes landfall in Texas as a Category 1 hurricane, causing 44 deaths, over 2.7 residents without power, and $28 billion t…
  • July 9Earth's rotationEarth completes its shortest recorded day due to a slight acceleration in rotation, with July 9 lasting approximately 1.3 to 1.6 millisec…

Everything we record for 2025 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Kočani nightclub fire”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/ko-ani-nightclub-fire-2025-march-16, accessed October 27, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Kočani nightclub fire happen?

March 16 2025 — 1 years ago, on a Sunday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.