Blaze in Polish homeless shelter kills 21 people

A FAST-MOVING fire tore through a three-storey building housing homeless families in north-western Poland early yesterday, killing at least 21 people and injuring 20 more, including an infant, officials said.

“I couldn’t breathe, so I opened the window and looked out, and the door was on fire because it was essentially made of paper,” a survivor told reporters.

“I put my pants on and boots, and a friend gave me a jacket, and there wasn’t any more time because it was burning like a torch. Some people jumped into the trees,” the unidentified middle-aged man said.