Berlin high-rise fire forces woman to jump two floors into rescue basket, 13 injured

Fire outbreak and spread

The fire broke out at approximately 6:27 AM on Friday on the balcony of an 11th-floor apartment in a 21-story residential building on the Straße der Pariser Kommune in Berlin-Friedrichshain, near the Ostbahnhof train station. Fire department spokesperson Adrian Wenzel said the flames quickly spread inside the apartment and then to the unit on the 12th floor above. The cause was not immediately known. Heavy smoke spread throughout the building, complicating evacuation efforts. The fire was brought under control in under three hours, though follow-up extinguishing and ventilation work continued through the morning. Wenzel noted that high-rise fires are always challenging because equipment must be carried to upper floors and many people need to be brought to safety.

Rescue from the 11th floor

When firefighters arrived, a woman was already sitting on the windowsill of the 11th floor with black smoke behind her. The fire truck's aerial ladder could only reach approximately the ninth floor, forcing the woman to jump two floors down into the roughly one-to-two-square-meter rescue basket. She sustained minor injuries and was caught by firefighters in the basket. Video footage taken by residents showed parts of the building's facade falling to the ground and the moment of the jump, with onlookers cheering afterward. The fire department had also deployed jump pads on the ground as a precaution.

Wenzel described the operation as "dramatic" and said the outcome could have been far worse.

That was really on a knife's edge.

He added that it could easily have turned into a large-scale disaster.

You don't experience that every day.

Casualties and evacuation

In total, 115 people were affected by the fire, according to the fire department, though one report put the number of people receiving care at 113. Twenty-five had to be brought to safety by emergency workers, some using fire escape hoods through the stairwell and others via the aerial ladder over a balcony. Thirteen people sustained minor injuries and received emergency medical treatment. Five were transported to the hospital by ambulance. A rescue helicopter was on standby but was not needed for transport. A dog was also rescued by emergency services. The fire department reported more than 130 personnel on site, while one source cited 160 at the peak of the operation. Many residents were led out through the stairwell.

Second fire strains resources

The Friedrichshain blaze was one of two large-scale operations for the Berlin fire department on Friday morning. A separate fire broke out on the fourth floor of a 10-story residential building in the Märkischen Viertel, spreading to the floor above. About 70 people were led out of that building, and one person sustained minor injuries. Together, the two incidents tied up 300 Berlin firefighters, prompting the call-up of volunteer fire departments for additional smaller operations across the city.

Aftermath

Residents of the Friedrichshain high-rise could not return to their apartments as of Friday morning due to ongoing follow-up work. The Straße der Pariser Kommune was closed between An der Ostbahn and Rüdersdorfer Straße in both directions, and police asked drivers to avoid the area widely. Psychosocial support services were on site, including staff from the district office, which was also arranging accommodation for those whose apartments were no longer habitable.