A fatal escape room fire in Koszalin killed five teenage girls and prompted Poland to introduce mandatory fire safety inspections for entertainment venues.
Key Facts
- Deaths
- 5 teenage girls (all age 15)
- Injured
- 1 adult employee
- Date
- 4 January 2019
- Cause of death
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Compensation awarded
- 200,000 zł per victim's family
- Employee sentence
- Radosław D. — 2 years in prison
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Gas cylinders in the ToNiePokój escape room had been leaking, and prior visitors had reported a strong gas smell. However, complaints were never relayed to local authorities. The duty employee left the building to obtain change, leaving the room unsupervised when the fire broke out in the waiting area.
On 4 January 2019, a fire ignited in the waiting area of the ToNiePokój escape room in Koszalin, Poland. Five 15-year-old girls celebrating a birthday were trapped inside a room that had no accessible door handle and windows blocked by makeshift walls, dying of carbon monoxide poisoning. The returning employee suffered severe burns attempting to rescue them.
Four individuals were arrested and prosecuted; the duty employee received a two-year prison sentence. Polish courts awarded 200,000 zł compensation to each victim's family. Poland subsequently enacted regulations requiring entertainment venues to undergo fire safety inspections at least every two years and to maintain adequate evacuation routes.