A devastating fire ripped through a retirement home in Tuzla, Bosnia, on Tuesday evening, November 4, 2025, claiming at least 11 lives and injuring more than 30 people in what officials described as a disaster of enormous proportions. The blaze engulfed the seventh floor of the multi-story facility, where many elderly residents were bedridden or unable to move without assistance.
The fire broke out around 8:45 p.m. local time on the building’s seventh floor, equivalent to the eighth floor in U.S. numbering. Witnesses reported seeing flames and thick smoke pouring from the upper levels into the night sky as emergency crews rushed to the scene. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, with authorities launching a formal inquiry to determine what sparked the deadly blaze.
Among the dead were 10 residents of the facility and one care worker, according to police officials. More than 20 others suffered injuries, including firefighters, medical staff and care home employees who participated in rescue efforts. Several of the injured were being treated for carbon monoxide poisoning at Tuzla University Clinical Centre, with three patients remaining in intensive care.
The retirement home’s upper floors housed elderly residents with limited mobility and serious health conditions, making evacuation efforts particularly challenging. Jasmin Habul, deputy commander of the Tuzla fire brigade, described the difficulty rescue teams faced. “The situation was very difficult because (this involves) immobile people, when rescuing and evacuation take place simultaneously,” Habul told reporters.
Two teams of firefighters, joined by volunteer crews, worked through the night to bring the blaze under control and evacuate residents. Emergency personnel moved rescued individuals from the burning upper floors to lower levels as flames continued to spread. Firefighters and rescue workers sustained injuries during their efforts to save trapped residents.
Ruza Kajic, a resident living on the third floor of the facility, provided a harrowing account of the moments when the fire began. She had retired to bed when unusual sounds alerted her to danger. “I had gone to bed when I heard a cracking sound. I don’t know if it was the windows in my room breaking. I live on the (home’s) third floor. I looked out the window and saw burning material falling from above,” Kajic told BHRT national broadcaster.
Admir Vojnic, who lives near the retirement home, witnessed the terrifying scene unfold. He reported seeing enormous flames and smoke, with elderly and helpless people standing outside the burning building. The dramatic images from the scene showed fire erupting from windows in the early morning hours.
Tuzla mayor Zijad Lugavic confirmed that authorities held an emergency meeting on Wednesday to assess the situation and coordinate support for survivors. The mayor acknowledged that rescue workers were among those who sustained injuries during the operation.
Mirsad Bakalović, head of the nursing home, announced his resignation following the tragedy. The facility released a statement indicating that authorities were taking every action to determine the causes of the catastrophic event. Some local media outlets reported that the building was in poor condition prior to the fire.
Tuzla canton chief prosecutor Vedran Alidzanovic indicated that identification of the victims would begin later in the day. A prosecutor initiated an investigation Wednesday morning with the goal of evacuating accessible bodies, but officials decided to halt the process and continue when conditions allowed for safer access to the scene.
The chairman of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s tripartite presidency, Željko Komšić, offered condolences to the victims’ families and the injured. Officials across the ethnically-divided nation expressed solidarity with Tuzla authorities. Savo Minic, prime minister of the country’s autonomous Serb Republic, wrote on social media that his government felt the pain and stood ready to help.
Nermin Niksic, prime minister of Bosnia’s Muslim-Croat entity, characterized the fire as a disaster of enormous proportions. The tragedy has prompted questions about safety standards and building conditions at care facilities throughout the region, though investigators have not yet determined whether structural issues played a role in the fire’s rapid spread.
