Tragedy struck in Tirana this week when a 33-year-old man, Arjan Sala was killed in a fire at the Casa Italia warehouse in Tirana.
The man had worked as a security guard at the warehouse for five years and was described by his colleagues as a very nice, correct and kind person. Others said he would happily stand in for them if they needed time off and was always on hand to help.
In fact, it was this willingness to help people that ultimately led to his death.
A fire broke out at the warehouse earlier this week. Sala was present at the time and helped to save the lives of 25 people. He retrieved those trapped inside and also attempted to tackle the fire with an extinguisher. Unfortunately, he went back inside to continue but never returned.
The fire continued burning for several days as the fire brigade were unable to contain it. Even after it was extinguished, smoke and poisonous gas continued to billow out of the warehouse. The presence of the smoke and gasses means that his body made it difficult to locate his body for almost four days.
A mining engineer who is working as a part of the rescue team told Top Channel:
“The situation is serious, inside the air condition is poor- 250 times worse than normal. The employees are heroes…we express our condolences to the suspected victim, there is nothing more we can do. The smoke makes it impossible to check for the victims, the warehouse is too big.”
Sadly, this morning, Sala’s body was retrieved from the ruins of the warehouse. It appears he had tried to shield himself and had covered himself in clothes and hidden in a room on the bottom floor of the warehouse. It’s believed he died of smoke inhalation.
President Ilir Meta spoke of his gratitude and deep respect for Sala. He said that the young man was an example of “a symbol of self-sacrifice, love for people, an example of kindness and the highest human values who do not abandon people in need even in the most difficult moments.”
A request has been made by his employer, a former police officer, and owner of a security company, for Sala to be declared Martyr of the Fatherland and be laid to rest in the Cemetery of Martyrs in Tirana. The request has been made to the Mayor of Tirana and the Council of the Prefecture.
He left behind a wife and a two-year-old son.
