Arjan Sala, the 33-year-old who lost his life while saving 25 people from a burning warehouse, has been declared “Martyr of the Nation.”
The man had worked as a security guard at the Casa Italia warehouse for five years and was described by his colleagues as a very nice and kind person. Others said he would happily stand in for them if they needed time off and was always on hand to help.
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 was unable to contain it. The presence of the smoke and gasses means that his body made it difficult to locate his body for almost four days.
On Saturday 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.
The announcement regarding Sala’s honor was made by Minister of Defence, Niko Peleshi this morning.
His family claims the lack of firefighting equipment at the warehouse was responsible for his death. Sala was married and had a two-year-old son.
