After the deadly fire tragedy in a so-called escape game in Poland is now the determination of the cause in focus. In addition, the fire protection measures in all escape rooms in Poland will be reviewed.
In the northern Polish town of Koszalin (Koszalin), five 15-year-old girls had died in a fire that had celebrated the birthday of one of the teenagers on late Friday afternoon. A 26-year-old man was also hospitalized with severe burns.
In an „escape room“, a group has to solve certain puzzles and tasks under time pressure in order to „escape“ from the room. The game has become increasingly popular in recent years in many countries. The operators of „escape rooms“ do not need to obtain special permits from the fire brigade in Poland.
The authorities did not want to give details of the incident on Friday. According to initial findings of the fire department, the fire broke out in an adjoining room. One of the local firefighters told the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper that the fire had already raged in all the rooms on the ground floor when the fire brigade arrived. Apparently the fire had cut off the escape route for the victims. According to the newspaper, the fire was probably triggered by the explosion of a gas cylinder. However, the press spokeswoman for the Koszalin police emphasized that nothing could be said yet about the causes of the fire.
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda expressed his condolences to the victims‘ families on Twitter: „A devastating tragedy in Koszalin. Five cheerful girls were killed, „he wrote. Minister of the Interior Brudzinski from the Law and Justice Party (PiS) offered unbureaucratic help to the families of the victims.
Koszalin is located about 160 kilometers west of Gdansk in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. The mayor of the city, Piotr Jedlinski, declared Sunday a day of mourning.
