New Delhi: A devastating blaze tore through a hotel operating without a fire NOC in a congested bylane in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar area on Wednesday, killing at least 21 people, including 12 foreigners
whose relatives were being treated in hospitals nearby.
The fire at the Flourish Stay B&B in Hauz Rani in Malviya Nagar started around 8.30 am and quickly spread through the five-floor narrow building that had only one entry-exit point, permanently sealed windows and a sensor-operated main door, officials said. Factors which combined to turn the building into a virtual death trap.
As the flames raged, catching everybody unawares and some in their sleep, rescue workers, including many locals, rushed to pull out those trapped inside.
At least 58 people were rescued and rushed to hospitals where 21 were declared brought dead, officials said. The dead include nine Indians, eight of them from an extended family.
The death toll in the fire -- amongst the worst in the city in recent years -- could rise with several of the injured in a critical condition, officials said.
Many of the casualties are from Central Asian and African countries. They were staying in the hotel to attend to their kin admitted in Max Hospital minutes away.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has arrested Lavkesh Bajaj, owner of the hotel, officials said.
The police had earlier issued a look out circular (LOC) against Bjaja and his wife, and launched an operation to trace them.
In a tragedy that was perhaps waiting to happen, the hotel had permission for only six rooms, granted under the Delhi government's bed and breakfast policy, but was operating 25, police officials said. Rooms had also come up in the basement.
The structure housed a restaurant on the ground floor while the basement and the upper floors were being used as the hotel.
Officials said the building was only ground floor plus one till six-seven years ago. The additional floors came up later without informing the authorities. Besides, a complete building plan was not submitted.
The building, they said, was reportedly above 15 metres in height, making fire safety clearance mandatory.
"As far as a fire NOC is concerned, we had not received any reference from either the building authorities or the licensing agency," Deputy Chief Fire Officer A K Malik told PTI.
The design of the building made escape almost impossible, he said.
“Buildings of this nature act like a shaft, where heat and smoke generated by a fire can engulf the entire structure within seconds, making evacuation even more challenging," he said.
The hotel was being operated by three partners, who are also believed to own other hotels and guesthouses across Delhi, police sources said.
Delhi Police has filed an FIR under charges of culpable homicide among other relevant sections of BNS. The building owner has been identified as LavKesh, the license was issued in the name of Jai Mishra and the owner of the hotel has been identified as Lokesh Bajaj, the sources added.
Alerts have been issued to railway and airport authorities to prevent the suspects from fleeing. Raids were conducted at multiple locations, including the residences of the building owner and the licence holder registered with the tourism department.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
Visuals from the area -- with narrow lanes, overhanging wires and cramped buildings haphazardly sharing space -- showed high flames rising in the air and wires twisted out of shape in the heat hanging precariously. Shattered glass and mangled metal lay scattered around the smoke charred building.
Teams from the Delhi Fire Services, police and disaster response units searched through the smoke-blackened structure for survivors. Victims were seen being pulled out of the basement and rushed to hospitals in ambulances.
The urban village of Hauz Rani is minutes away from swanky malls, upscale hospitals and the Saket court complex as well as the residential localities of Malviya Nagar and Saket.
Officials said the fire started at Lemon Green Restaurant, but police later clarified that it was a hotel building.
According to one eyewitness and a first responder, the basement was locked and he helped the fire team to help open it. "It took more than 20 minutes to open the basement area," he alleged.
Horrific scenes played out all over.
As thick smoke engulfed the building and flames spread rapidly, several people were seen breaking window panes and calling for help.
"A woman holding a young child jumped from the third floor after local residents spread mattresses on the ground below in an attempt to save those trapped inside," an eyewitness said.
A foreigner couple could be seen trapped on the fourth floor. They broke the window glass, smashed the aluminum mesh and climbed down using a pipe to escape the inferno.
Arman, who owns a blanket and cotton shop opposite the hotel, spread as many quilts and mattresses as he could to cushion the fall of people while others administered CPR to the injured.
“At that time, we did not think about anything else. We provided as many quilts as were needed,” Armaan told PTI.
At the Max Hospital across the road, stunned relatives crowded the waiting area searching for their loved ones, scanning lists and making frantic phone calls as the injured and the dead were brought in.
"We can't recognise them by looking at pictures. Everyone is severely burnt," said one man sobbing uncontrollably.
Also searching desperately was Namit Goel, who said six of his relatives were among those caught in the fire. "Four bodies are in Max Saket mortuary and two bodies are in another hospital. We are trying to locate them," he said.
Max Hospital said in a statement that 39 patients were received at the emergency department. Of these 18 were brought dead, while 15 were admitted to the ICU, including eight who are on ventilator support and critical.
The patients suffered from asphyxiation, minor burn injuries and fractures, it said.
Five patients with minor injuries were treated and discharged after primary medical care, while one patient was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital due to extensive burn injuries, it added.
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences received 13 patients -- three of them sustained injuries from fall and 10 were those who got hurt while rescuing those trapped in the burning building.
Out of the 21 killed in the incident, eight have been identified: Roland (40), a woman from Liberia; Tshipambaachil (40) from Mozambique; Ashok (56); Vivek (47); Tulkinov Khpumeium (40); Makhpirat Khon Kochkaroua (75); Prem Lata (70); and Kamla Devi (52).
Among the injured, eight have been discharged after treatment, the police said.
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among those who expressed their condolences.
"The news of the loss of lives in the fire incident in Malviya Nagar, Delhi is extremely heartbreaking…," Murmu said in a post on X in Hindi The prime minister announced ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
Describing the loss of lives as tragic, he said on X, "My condolences to those who have lost their loved ones." Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and leader Rahul Gandhi, expressed their grief and urged party workers to extend all possible help.
State government authorities should provide adequate and timely compensation, including prompt medical care to the victims, Kharge said.
The worst fire in Delhi remains the 1997 Uphaar Cinema fire in which 59 people died.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
