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ToNiePokój escape room fire

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The ToNiePokój escape room fire occurred in the ToNiePokój escape room in Koszalin, Poland, on 4 January 2019, killing 5 teenagers and injuring an adult employee.

Fire

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At approximately 5:15 P.M. a fire broke out in one of the two rooms of the escape room at 88 Piłsudskiego street.[1][2] Five 15-year-old girls – Amelia Wieczorek, Małgorzata Tymieniecka, Julia Pawlak, Karolina Barabas, and Wiktoria Pietras[3] – died of carbon monoxide poisoning.[4] They were all students of class III d of Junior High School No. 9 (currently Primary School No. 18) and were celebrating the birthday of one of them.[5] They were all close friends.[3][6] The victims were not directly burnt by the fire and the bodies were not in the path of the fire.[7][8] It was said to be caused by leaking gas cylinders that were used to heat the building[9], though this has been disputed by the victims' parents, who claimed that it was caused by a live fire.[10] According to the victims' parents, an experiment with a gas cylinder returned results that were completely different than what was present at the site of the fire.[10] The building's windows had been covered with "makeshift walls" and the room in which the victims died in was "no bigger than a closet"[11], being approximately seven square metres in size.[12] The door of the room had no handle[1], since the victims were supposed to find the handle as part of the game.[13] The victims had no escape route.[14] The door was locked and the girls had no key since they would only receive the key after solving the puzzle.[15] There was no panic button to open the door in case of an emergency.[16] The employee on duty, Radosław D., was not present when the fire started.[17] He was in a nearby store to change money[1] and a wall of fire prevented him from opening the room when he returned. According to the prosecutor's office, Radosław D. did not attempt to extinguish the fire or use fire extinguishers.[17] If he was there, he could have told the victims that there was a hidden passage behind a fake fireplace to the next room, which was fire-free.[10]

The girls called the fire department and told the dispatcher that they were trapped inside the room, that there was a large amount of smoke, and they requested assistance.[6] At about 5:14:30 P.M.[18] Wiktoria called her father and said 'Tata, pożar!' (transl. Dad, fire!), which her father states were the last words she said to him.[6] Her father testified in court that he initially thought that the call was a hint to solve the puzzle, but he told her to get to the floor and to try to escape after he realised that there was actually a fire.[18]

Previous visitors had found the escape room to be in poor condition[3], complaining about a strong smell of gas.[19] Jarosław Szymczyk, Commander-in-Chief of Police, stated that local officials were not made aware of complaints against the escape room.[20] Firefighters on the scene needed to use specialized equipment to enter the building.[21]

Aftermath

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Immediately after the tragedy, President Andrzej Duda, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, and United States Ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher, amongst others, expressed their condolences to the families of the deceased.[22] Duda described the incident as a "crushing tragedy" on Twitter.[4] The mayor of Koszalin, Piotr Jedlinski, announced 6 January as a day of mourning for the city,[23] and requested that residents do not hold entertainment events or parties.[4] Performances at the Bałtycki Teatr Dramatyczny [pl] and cultural events at the Centrum Kultury 105 scheduled for 5 January were cancelled.[24] The Epiphany procession that was meant to take place on 6 January in Koszalin was also cancelled.[25] The victims of the fire were buried together on 10 January at the Koszalin municipal cemetery[26], with a song that Wiktoria had written and recorded playing.[2][27]

Due to the tragedy, the Polish premiere of the film Escape Room was postponed and eventually canceled.[28][29]

Criminal trial

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The investigation of the fire was conducted by the Koszalin District Prosecutor's Office.[30] The victims' parents joined the case as auxiliary prosecutors [pl].[31] Four people were arrested in connection to the case: Miłosz S., the designer and organizer of the escape room; Miłosz's grandmother Małgorzata W., in whose name the business was registered; Miłosz's mother Beata W.; and Radosław D., the employee on duty at the time of the incident. None of them pleaded guilty, and Miłosz and Radosław blamed each other. Miłosz said that Radosław went against policy by using the gas heater when customers were present and did not properly instruct the victims on how to use their walkie-talkie, and Radosław said that Miłosz did not give him sufficient health and safety training and claimed that Miłosz cut corners in regards to the safety of the escape room.[1] The Koszalin district court sentenced Miłosz S. and Radosław D. to 2 years in prison and imposed a 10 year ban on conducting activities related to sports, recreation, and culture. Małgorzata W. and Beata W. were sentenced to 1 year in prison, 3 years of a suspended sentence, and were banned from running a business for 10 years. The court also declared 200,000zł compensation for each victim's family. The parents of the victims expressed dismay at the sentences, calling them "embarrassingly low".[32] The court acknowledged that the defendants would have to live with the fact that they caused the death of the children, and took this into account with the sentencing.[33]

There also was an investigation into the rescue operation. Some of the witnesses testifying at the trial stated that the paramedic who arrived at the scene did not perform resuscitation of the victims. According to some of the witnesses and the victims' parents, he assumed that they were dead too quickly. There also was an unauthorized person in the room with the emergency dispatcher.[1]

[edit]

Before the incident, escape rooms in Poland were not required to be inspected by fire department officials.[34] After this tragedy, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced the standardization of escape rooms in Poland. The regulations are to be set by the State Fire Service, the police, and building supervision inspectors.[35]

In connection to the fire, the Minister of the Interior and Administration, Joachim Brudziński, ordered the Commander-in-Chief of the State Fire Service to carry out inspections of all escape room facilities in Poland.[25] Czech and Lithuanian fire officials announced inspections of escape rooms in their respective countries in response to the tragedy.[36][37] In Poland, 520 facilities were inspected, almost 2000 violations were found, and 102 bans on the use of the facilities were issued. By February 7, 133 facilities had fixed all violations.[38]

On 11 January 2019, Joachim Brudziński signed an amendment to the regulation on fire protection of buildings. It introduced regulations specifying fire protection issues regarding evacuation in facilities where entertainment business activities are conducted; it was ordered that practical checking of the organization of people's evacuation and verification of compliance with fire protection requirements was required at least once every 2 years. It is written in the justification to the draft regulation that the amendment is a reaction to the fire that broke out on January 4 in a premises with an escape room in Koszalin.[39]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Napierała, Marcin (7 November 2024). "Koniec procesu w sprawie śmierci pięciu nastolatek w escape roomie. Sąd wysłuchał mów końcowych". Gazeta Wyborcza (in Polish). Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  2. ^ a b Bielecka, Elżbieta; Domurat, Inga (10 January 2019). "Piętnastolatki, ofiary pożaru w escape roomie, spoczęły na koszalińskim cmentarzu komunalnym". Polish Press Agency (in Polish). Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Meisjes die omkwamen in escaperoom dikke vriendinnen: 'Voor altijd in mijn hart'". RTL Nederland (in Dutch). 7 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Palin, Megan (6 January 2019). "Five girls locked in home-based escape room died from 'asphyxiation'". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  5. ^ "Pięć nastolatek zginęło w pożarze escape roomu. Koniec procesu". TVN24 (in Polish). 8 November 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  6. ^ a b c ""Zdążyła zadzwonić. Powiedziała: tata, pożar!". Nastolatki zginęły w escape roomie, rodzice przerywają milczenie". TVN24 (in Polish). 29 September 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  7. ^ "Investigators revise cause of escape room fire that killed 5 girls". Sky News. 6 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  8. ^ Lifshutz, Hannah (6 January 2019). "Five Teenage Girls Killed in 'Escape Room' Fire in Poland". Complex. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  9. ^ "Escape room fire kills five teenagers in Poland". BBC News. 5 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  10. ^ a b c "Śmierć pięciu nastolatek w escape roomie. Śledztwo rodziców i wyrok sądu. "Żenująco niski"". TVN24 (in Polish). 22 November 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  11. ^ Berendt, Joanna; Santora, Mark (7 January 2019). "Poland Cracks Down on Escape Rooms After Deadly Fire". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  12. ^ "Veel onveilige escaperooms in Polen, dertien direct gesloten". RTL Nederland (in Dutch). 8 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  13. ^ "Nastolatki, by wyjść z pokoju, miały odnaleźć klamkę. To był element gry w śmiertelnym pokoju zagadek". Gazeta Wyborcza (in Polish). 8 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  14. ^ "Poruszające wyznania na koniec głośnego procesu. "Moje życie bez córki to wegetacja"". Polsat News (in Polish). 7 November 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  15. ^ "Pogrzeb ofiar pożaru w koszalińskim escape roomie. Ks. Pawlak: W tej przyjaźni były razem i razem pozostaną". Dziennik Gazeta Prawna (in Polish). 10 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  16. ^ "Ponad dziesięć miesięcy po tragedii w koszalińskim escape roomie sąd aresztuje 25-letniego studenta". Gazeta Wyborcza (in Polish). 19 October 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  17. ^ a b Kowalewska, Joanna (2 June 2021). "Czy pięć nastolatek, które zginęły w escape roomie, można było uratować? To chcą wiedzieć rodziny". Gazeta Wyborcza (in Polish). Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  18. ^ a b "Rodzice ofiar pożaru w escape roomie złożyli zeznania. "Winni musza ponieść karę, najwyższą z możliwych"". Polskie Radio (in Polish). 16 December 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  19. ^ "Klienci o escape roomie w Koszalinie: "Miejsce zimne i śmierdzące gazem"". Fakt (in Polish). 4 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  20. ^ "Poland escape room fire: Game designer charged as victims identified". Nine News. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  21. ^ "5 teenage girls die in 'escape room' fire". Deutsche Welle. 5 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  22. ^ "Pracownik escape roomu w Koszalinie czuł ulatniający się gaz. W czwartek wspólny pogrzeb ofiar". Gazeta.pl (in Polish). 7 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  23. ^ Wyatt, Tim (5 January 2019). "Escape room fire kills five teenage girls celebrating a birthday in Poland". The Independent. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  24. ^ Domurat, Inga (5 January 2019). "Koszalin: w niedzielę w mieście żałoba; odwoływane są imprezy". Polish Press Agency (in Polish). Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  25. ^ a b "Tragiczny pożar w Koszalinie. Pięć 15-latek zginęło w escape roomie. Bawiły się na urodzinach". Gazeta.pl (in Polish). 4 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  26. ^ "Tragedia w escape roomie. Zażalenie ws. aresztu dla organizatora". Polskie Radio (in Polish). 9 October 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  27. ^ "5 victims of Poland escape room fire laid to rest together". Associated Press. 10 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  28. ^ ""Escape Room": Premiera wstrzymana". Interia (in Polish). 7 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  29. ^ "Horror "Escape Room" nie wejdzie do polskich kin. Dystrubucję wstrzymano". Dziennik Gazeta Prawna (in Polish). 7 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  30. ^ "Pożar w escape roomie. Rozpoczął się proces w sprawie śmierci pięciu 15-latek". Polish Press Agency (in Polish). 14 December 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  31. ^ Domurat, Inga (16 December 2021). "Ojciec ofiary pożaru w escape roomie: obiecałem Wiktorii, że osoby, które zabiły nasze dzieci, poniosą odpowiedzialność". Polish Press Agency (in Polish). Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  32. ^ Patora, Tomasz (21 November 2024). "Są wyroki w sprawie dramatycznego pożaru w escape roomie. Rodzice mówią: Żenująco niski". TVN (in Polish). Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  33. ^ Malinowska, Anna; Napierała, Marcin (21 November 2024). "Wyrok w sprawie śmierci pięciu 15-latek w escape roomie w Koszalinie. Zginęły pięć lat temu, świętując urodziny". Gazeta Wyborcza (in Polish). Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  34. ^ "Straż skontrolowała ponad 400 escape roomów". Dziennik Gazeta Prawna (in Polish). 8 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  35. ^ Fryc, Jagoda (7 January 2019). "Escape room, czyli biznes po polsku. Czy musiało dojść do tragedii, żeby pojawiła się refleksja?". Business Insider (in Polish). Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  36. ^ "Czechy biorą przykład z Polski. Escape roomy pod lupą". Dziennik (in Polish). 7 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  37. ^ Akińczo, Aleksandra (8 January 2019). "Litwa: Strażacy zapowiedzieli kontrole w escape roomach". Dziennik Gazeta Prawna (in Polish). Polish Press Agency. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  38. ^ "Szef MSWiA podsumował kontrole w escape roomach. Ponad 100 zakazów eksploatacji". Polskie Radio (in Polish). 8 February 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  39. ^ "MSWiA: Minister Joachim Brudziński podpisał nowelę rozporządzenia dot. m.in. escape roomów". Dziennik Gazeta Prawna (in Polish). 11 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
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