Five Teenage Girls In Poland Killed In 'Escape Room' Fire

Source: RADOSLAW KOLESNIK / Getty

Five Teenagers Were Killed In An Escape Room After A Fire Erupted

Five teenage girls were killed–and one man was injured–in a fire that broke out in an “escape room” venue in northern Poland, according to authorities on Saturday.

The 15-year-old girls were said to be celebrating one of their birthdays in the town of Koszalin when the fire encircled the venue at around 5 PM. Local firefighters revealed that the incident was likely the result of faulty electrical wiring in addition to a lack of proper security. Poland’s firefighting chief, Leszek Suski, explained that the wiring was in dangerously close proximity to flammable materials saying, “Security was not ensured and that led to the tragedy.”

Interior Minister Joachim Brudzinski has reportedly issued fire safety tests at other similar venues following this tragic incident. The president also shared his condolences on Saturday, calling the incident a “crushing tragedy.”

The girls’ bodies were reportedly found once local firefighters had extinguished the blaze. In addition to the death of these girls, an injured 25-year-old man was taken to the hospital for severe burns following the incident.

If you aren’t already familiar with escape rooms, this probably isn’t the best time to tell you to go. Escape rooms have become increasingly popular around the world after first originating in Japan. The experience is an in-person simulated adventure where players are made to feel endangered, as if they’re trapped. Participants are typically locked inside a room and asked to complete puzzles and different intricate tasks under pressures to exit. There are said to be over 1,000 similar venues across Poland.