Thirteen people were injured after flames spread through upper-floor apartments near Berlin’s Ostbahnhof, with five taken to hospitals.
BERLIN, GERMANY — A woman trapped by flames and heavy smoke in a Berlin high-rise jumped from an 11th-floor window into a fire department aerial basket positioned about two floors below, escaping with minor injuries during a large emergency response Friday.
The Aug. 14 fire broke out shortly before 6:30 a.m. in a residential tower on Straße der Pariser Kommune in the Friedrichshain neighborhood, near the Ostbahnhof train station. Fire officials said the blaze began on a balcony on the 11th floor, spread into the apartment and then reached the floor above. At least 13 people were injured, and five were taken by ambulance to hospitals.
The most urgent rescue involved the woman on the 11th floor. When firefighters arrived, she was already sitting at a window with dark smoke behind her, according to accounts from fire department officials reported by German media. The aerial ladder available to crews could reach only about the ninth floor, leaving its rescue basket below the woman’s position.
With fire conditions worsening, the woman jumped down into the basket, where firefighters caught her. Video recorded from below showed the basket shake as she landed before crews lowered it toward the ground. Fire department spokesperson Adrian Wenzel described the rescue as extremely close and said the woman suffered minor injuries.
Firefighters also faced heavy smoke throughout parts of the building. Residents were led out through the stairwell, while some were rescued with equipment including escape hoods and an aerial ladder. Fire crews also prepared inflatable rescue cushions as a precaution, but officials said they were not used.
Berlin broadcaster rbb reported that firefighters cared for 113 people at the scene, checking them for possible injuries and arranging additional support. Authorities also worked to help residents whose apartments could not immediately be occupied. A rescue helicopter was placed on standby but was not needed to transport patients.
More than 130 firefighters remained involved during part of the response, with the number of personnel at the scene reaching about 150 at its peak, according to local reports. Crews extinguished the main fire during the morning, then continued checking the building, putting out remaining hot spots and ventilating areas affected by smoke.
The Friedrichshain fire came as Berlin firefighters were also handling another high-rise blaze in the Märkisches Viertel area of Reinickendorf. About 70 people were led from that building, and one person was reported to have suffered minor injuries. The two incidents placed significant demands on the city’s fire service, with volunteer firefighters called in to help cover other emergencies.
Initial reports differed over some details of the Friedrichshain building, including its total number of floors, but local and national reports agreed that the fire began on the 11th floor and spread upward. Later local reporting put the injury count at 13, including five people who were transported to hospitals, updating an earlier estimate cited by The Associated Press.
The cause of the Friedrichshain fire had not been publicly established in the latest reports. After firefighting and safety operations were completed, the scene was turned over for an investigation into how the blaze began.
Author note: Last updated August 17, 2026.