22 people, including 6 children, are dead in a fast-moving inferno that swept through a hostel for homeless families in Kamien Pomorski, near Szczecin, north-western Poland in the early hours of Monday morning. The fire was Poland's deadliest in three decades, since the October 1980 blaze at psychiatric hospital in Górna Grupa killed 55 people.
The fire broke out after midnight on Monday. It spread so quickly, that when firemen arrived on the scene, they saw virtually the entire building ablaze, hallways filled with smoke and parents tossing children out of windows.
The tragedy in Kamien Pomorski sparked a debate on the condition of social and public housing in terms of fire regulations. Parallel to this important social debate, help is flowing in for the victims of the blaze from all over Poland. Polish Red Cross and Poland's largest charity organization, the Catholic Caritas Polska, are busy coordinating charity campaigns.
Inspecting the damange early Monday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk promised aid for survivors, including 4 million zloty (about one million two hundred thousand US dollars). President Lech Kaczynski, who also arrived at the scene, promised financial help from the budget of his chancellery. He also declared three days of national mourning in connection with the tragedy.
Click on the audio icon to listen to the report by Joanna Najfeld.