Three months after a devastating fire tore through a nightclub in Kocani, North Macedonia, survivors and their families continue to endure the emotional and physical aftermath of the tragedy.
Despite the passage of time, the pain remains raw, and many feel that little has changed since that fateful night. In Kocani, residents still gather to demand accountability, remembering the victims and standing by those who are still recovering.
Among them is Maria, one of the most severely injured in the blaze, whose story has come to symbolize the resilience and suffering of the survivors.
Maria spent 47 days in Sofia’s Pirogov Emergency Hospital in Bulgaria, 12 of them in intensive care and intubated. Though now home, she bears visible scars on her face and hands, constant reminders of the trauma.
The most harrowing moment, she told BNT, was when her eyes were bandaged and she feared she would never see again. “I was scared that I’d lost my sight,” she said.
Dr. Martin Martinov, one of her attending physicians, explained that Maria had sustained deep facial burns that severely damaged all four of her eyelids, rendering her unable to open or close her eyes. After several reconstructive surgeries, she has regained full movement and vision—an outcome many called miraculous.
Her mother, overcome with emotion, recalled the long days spent waiting outside the ICU. “From March 16 to April 4—I didn’t see my child,” she said. “When I finally saw her, and she hugged me and said, ‘Mom, I’m here, I’m fine,’ it felt like life had returned to me.”
Other families are also struggling through long recoveries. Lyubcho Dimitriev, whose son Mario suffered burns over 30 percent of his body, recently returned to Pirogov for yet another surgery, this time on Mario’s neck.
The days following the fire, he said, were filled with dread. “The worst moment was knowing his life was in danger. The best was when he came off the ventilator. That was our victory,” he said, praising the doctors for their dedication and compassion.
In Kocani, Vesna walks cautiously near the scene of the fire. Her son Pavel is still in treatment in Sofia, and her daughter, too, was later hospitalized for burns on her hands. “The biggest fear in life is thinking you’ll never see your child again,” she said.
Jovan, another survivor now undergoing rehabilitation in Plovdiv, is slowly regaining movement. After three surgeries on his hands, he said he once feared how he would look or whether he’d have a normal life again. “Now I feel lucky just to be alive,” he reflected.
Doctors across North Macedonia are continuing their support. Dr. Nikola Kostadinov, who travels to Kocani, said about 50 people are still in treatment, with more in nearby towns. “The biggest challenge is getting them back to normal life,” he said, thanking Bulgarian doctors for their crucial assistance.
Prof. Maya Argirova of Pirogov’s Burns and Plastic Surgery Clinic underscored the severity of the early days. “The most important thing we learned,” she said, “is how precious it is simply to be alive—and to be together.”