Poland closes substandard escape rooms

The five teenage girls celebrating a birthday in an ”escape the room”, in Swedish called rymningsspel, on Friday evening in the city of Koszalin in northern Poland when the fire broke out.

Police and the fire brigade outside the activities where a fire took the lives of five teenagers on Friday. Photo: Mr. Kolesnik/AFP

that the likely cause of the fire and the public prosecutor has directed harsh criticism against the establishment's practices and condition. Among other things, lack of escape route and the employees could not go to the girls due to the fire blocking the way to the room – where the girls later were found dead. The girls should not have been reached by the fire but by the dying of toxic gases.

A 26-year-old man, an employee, was injured and taken to hospital with serious burns.

Read more: Five teenagers dead in the ”escape the room” in Poland

Now, has the owner been arrested, according to Reuters, which refers to the Polish media. What the owner suspected of is still unclear.

the prime minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki promise now to close all the ”escape the room”-facilities that do not meet safety requirements.

Polish authorities have inspected at least 178 similar facilities around the country – of which 129 did not meet the requirements, and 13 of them have been shut down.

" this is unprecedented. All kind of preventive measures are important, " says Mateusz Morawiecki, according to Reuters.

In Poland, there are over 1,000 different ”escape the room”facilities that offer the activity. The popular rymningsspelet also exists in Sweden, and the participants are locked up in different rooms. Within a certain period of time you should succeed in getting out again, with the help of clues and quests.

Read more: gas leak likely the cause of the fire