Inquest into death of woman who jumped from NSW fire continues

A coronial inquest is set to continue into the death of a 21-year-old student in a western Sydney apartment blaze.

Connie Zhang jumped to her death from the fifth floor of a Bankstown unit block on September 6, 2012, when the window frame became too hot to cling to.

Her friend Ginger Jiang, who also jumped and is now in a wheelchair, told the inquest on the opening day that the fire began on the balcony and spread rapidly through their unit.

"We knew we could not get out," she told Glebe Coroner's Court on Monday.

"We threw ourselves towards the window. I saw Connie climb over the window."

Counsel assisting, Stephen Rushton SC, said the apartment complex did not meet fire safety codes at the time of the fire and is still not up to date.