Photo by Agence France-Presse — Getty Images.

A fire has ripped through a hostel for the poor and the homeless in Poland, killing at least 21 people and injuring 20 more.

The blaze broke out around 1am on Monday in Kamien Pomorski, near the Baltic Sea coast, 500 kilometers northwest of Warsaw.

Polish television showed the charred, gutted shell of the three-story building surrounded by fire engines. Witnesses said the fire brigade only had ladders long enough to reach the first floor windows, and that many of the survivors jumped from the building to escape the flames.

There were 77 people registered as residents in the building at the time of the blaze. Firefighters said not all were yet accounted for, and that the death toll could rise.

The injured, many of whom suffered broken bones after jumping out of windows on the upper floors to escape the blaze, were taken to local hospitals. Two people were being treated for burns, including an eight-month-old baby.

Police and prosecutors were on the scene investigating to try to determine the cause of the fire, one of the worst in recent Polish history.

On Monday afternoon Prime Minister Donald Tusk visited the scene, while President Lech Kaczynski has declared a three-day period of national mourning.

Residents of the small town were first to pitch in with help, TVN24 reported, and donated clothes, food and toiletries to those left with nothing after the fires. Survivors were taken to nearby hotels.

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