A woman has died after a fire broke out in a flat on the 15th floor of a tower block in Budapest’s 14th district, Zugló, early on Friday morning.

Another fire broke out in Budapest’s District XIV

The blaze broke out in a flat in the Füredi housing estate in Rákosfalva Park. According to Budapest’s disaster management authorities, one room and a balcony were fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters extinguished the fire using two water jets.

As the report of BudapestKörnyéke claim, ten fire engines, three ambulances and several police units were dispatched to the scene. One firefighter was injured during the operation and was taken to the Honvéd Hospital for treatment. The resident of the flat, a mother of two, died at the scene.

Another case happened only a few hours before, in the same district, on Stefánia Road, where the roof of an apartment complex caught fire, where the flames spread to two neighbouring flats, and was also endangering nearby homes.

Woman fell from the 15th floor

According to local residents, the woman left the burning flat through a window after the fire broke out and died at the scene. However, it has not yet been established whether she deliberately left the building in this way or was attempting to escape the flames.

The Budapest Police Headquarters said an administrative procedure has been launched in connection with the death, while a separate fire investigation is underway to establish the cause and circumstances of the blaze.

Residents heard shouting before the fire

People living in the tower block told local media that residents on lower floors were woken by loud shouting and screaming in the early hours of Friday morning, followed by a loud impact. Neighbours said the woman had lived in the Füredi housing estate since childhood and was known by several people in the area, writes Blikk.

One neighbour said she had normally lived with her mother and two young daughters. The children were reportedly no longer living with her, while her mother was in hospital at the time of the incident. Residents also said the woman had experienced serious personal difficulties and that emergency services had been called to the property on previous occasions.

Investigation continues

The flat was severely damaged by the blaze and is currently uninhabitable. According to the building’s caretaker, the municipality is expected to arrange for the property to be cleared and repaired.

Relatives told reporters that police and ambulance services had previously been called to the property several times because of concerns about the woman’s condition. They said they had repeatedly asked authorities to provide her with appropriate help.

Two days before the tragedy, the woman had published a concerning message on social media in which she claimed that people were impersonating police officers and paramedics and said she was afraid to leave her flat. Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the fire and the woman’s death.

Read also: Body of missing 21-year-old Ozora Festival crew member found near festival site