A devastating fire in Sofia’s Svoboda district claimed the lives of three women overnight, authorities confirmed. The victims were a 75-year-old mother and her two daughters, aged 51 and 47, who died from smoke inhalation on the fourth floor while attempting to escape the blaze. Another person, the resident of the apartment where the fire started, was hospitalized at Pirogov Emergency Hospital with smoke inhalation and burns to his face.

The fire erupted shortly after 3:00 a.m. in an apartment on the second floor of a residential building. The alarm was received at 3:05 a.m., prompting the dispatch of three fire engines and around ten firefighters. Residents in the stairwell and nearby apartments were evacuated as heavy smoke rapidly filled the building.

According to Krasimir Dimitrov, director of Emergency Assistance and Prevention at Sofia Municipality, police patrols were the first on the scene. “They saw heavy smoke at the entrance and, together with firefighters and municipal teams, evacuated residents who were in danger, particularly on the second floor,” he said. The deceased family lived on the fourth floor.

Investigators reported that the resident of the second-floor apartment initially attempted to extinguish the fire after smelling smoke but quickly realized he could not contain it and fled, leaving the apartment door open. This allowed thick smoke to pour into the staircase and rise to the upper floors, where the victims were overcome while trying to escape in panic. The injured man remains in the hospital’s Toxicology Clinic for treatment.

Fire department inspector Bogomil Nikolov confirmed that firefighters found one apartment fully ablaze upon arrival and immediately began a search of the stairwell and neighboring flats to evacuate residents. The blaze was eventually brought under control and fully extinguished, but emergency teams continued working at the site for several hours.

The fire caused significant smoke damage to other apartments, and several families were forced to leave their homes. One family has been accommodated in the Sofia Municipal Emergency Assistance Center, while another, including a baby, is temporarily staying with relatives.

Authorities stressed that there is no indication the fire was deliberate. The precise cause of the initial spark is still under investigation.