A huge fire broke out in an apartment building in the western German city of Essen early Monday, and three people were taken to a hospital after inhaling smoke, authorities said.
The fire service said that about 100 people were evacuated from the building, roughly the number of people who lived there, news agency dpa reported.
About 150 officers were dispatched to fight the fire.
The city’s fire service said the first caller reported a blaze on a balcony of the complex, which was built in 2015.
It said that gusts from the latest in a series of storms that have hit northern Europe in recent days appear to have helped the fire spread quickly along the building’s balcony and facade.
The flames then made their way into apartments through shattered windows.
The blaze has been brought under control but the fire service said large parts of the building were in danger of collapsing.
