Tenant scheduled for eviction the day after deadly fire

Sári Morg Gergö, a Hungarian man who survived the recent fatal fire in Hjarðarhagi, told police he found a petrol can in the wreckage of the basement apartment where the blaze broke out. Gergö lived there with three other men. Two died in the fire; a third was not home at the time.

Gergö, currently recovering in hospital, said one of the deceased tenants—a U.S. citizen—had been scheduled for eviction the day after the fire. That tenant had lived in the apartment for ten years and was told in April that he would have to vacate the property by May 23.

A narrow escape

Gergö, who worked as a tour guide, said he had returned home from work the night before the fire and later experienced stomach pain. He called in sick the next morning and decided not to set an alarm. He was fast asleep when the fire began.

“I woke up to the heat and saw flames creeping under the door,” Gergö recounted. “I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming. I had taken painkillers and was exhausted. I even punched the flames to make sure they were real.”

Realizing he couldn't reach his Czech roommate through the flames, Gergö broke a window and climbed out, suffering deep cuts and burns in the process. “The window was at neck height in the basement. I smashed it with my hand, climbed out, and fell about 60–70 cm to the ground,” he said.

Once outside, Gergö heard screams from inside the building and believed it was his Czech friend. He attempted to re-enter the apartment through the front door, but it was locked and filled with thick, dark smoke. He knocked on doors in the stairwell until someone let him in and helped him dress his wounds.

Gergö alerted first responders that two men were still inside the burning apartment, but heavy flames made immediate rescue efforts impossible. He was later transported to the hospital by ambulance.

Eviction and tensions in the apartment

Gergö described his landlord as “incredibly good and reliable,” and said that the eviction stemmed from ongoing conflicts between the American tenant and others in the apartment. “There had been issues before,” he said, referencing a similar warning issued in December. “He didn’t want to leave. He was unhappy about it and had a lot of mood swings.”

Although not a mental health expert, Gergö said he believed the American tenant may have been struggling with depression. The two had not spoken since an argument in April.

A tribute to a lost friend

At the hospital, Gergö paid tribute to his Czech roommate. “He deserved better,” he said. “He was always there for me when I needed him. He was the best.”