They didn’t have to die.
The fate of five 15-year-old girls who perished in a fire at an “escape room” attraction in Poland was sealed by the lack of a proper evacuation route, a senior firefighter said on Saturday.
The girls had gathered for a birthday celebration in Koszalin, in northern Poland, on Friday when a blaze erupted at the house.
One additional victim suffered burns.
“The tragedy occurred primarily due to the lack of an effective evacuation route,” said Leszek Suski, head of the state firefighting service, to the PAP Polish state news agency.
Koszalin prosecutor Ryszard Gasiorowski said a leak in a bottled gas heating system probably fueled the fire.
“Preliminary findings suggest that the fire was caused by an unsealed gas container inside a heater,” Gasiorowski said.
Autopsies showed the girls died of carbon monoxide asphyxiation, prosecutors said.
Police said the dead were found after firefighters put out the blaze, which began around 5 p.m. at the “escape room” venue.
Highly popular with teenagers across Poland, the “escape room” game involves players locked inside a room or building.
They must find clues that help them get out.
Scores of escape rooms across Poland will now be inspected for safety, officials said on Saturday.
A stunned country was attempting to make sense of the deadly blaze.
Koszalin mayor Piotr Jedlinski announced that Sunday would be a day of mourning in the city and called for all entertainment to be scrapped. The annual Epiphany procession was canceled.
“The families want peace and quiet as they face their great tragedy,” Jedlinski said.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki sent condolences to the victims’ relatives and the school where the teenagers attended was extending psychological counseling.
Students and residents attended a Catholic Mass on Saturday at the town church.
Local residents were placing flowers and lights in front of the location, a detached house which became a death trap.
President Andrzej Duda tweeted it was a “crushing tragedy” that five young girls died so early in their lives.