At least 10 people died and 20 others were injured in a fire that broke out in a home for the elderly in the town of Tuzla in northern Bosnia late on Tuesday evening, the facility said.

The fire broke out around 9 pm local time on one of the higher floors of the building and was put out around an hour later, Federalna TV reported on its website. The cause of the fire was not known, it said.

A spokesperson for the University Clinical Centre Tuzla, Ersija Aščerić Mujedinović, confirmed that several patients were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning, tuzlanski.ba portal reported.

"Three patients are in the Clinic for Internal Medicine due to carbon monoxide poisoning, two are in the intensive care unit, and one is currently in the admission clinic where medical treatment is underway," Aščerić Mujedinović said.

Ruza Kajic, who lives at the third floor, said she had gone to bed when she heard “popping sounds" and saw flames falling from upper floors.

“Everything started breaking, I don't know if my windows are in one piece,” Kajic told Avaz TV. “I rushed out.”

Media images from the scene showed a blaze on one of the facility's floors. Firefighters evacuated the building as they contained the blaze. (Agencies)