As authorities investigate the fire at the Flourish B&B hotel in south Delhi’s Hauz Rani area that claimed the lives of at least 21 people, a series of alleged abuses and eyewitness accounts have begun to reveal why so many passengers struggled to escape.
While the exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined, police said preliminary investigations indicate that it started in the restaurant operating on the ground floor.
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Here are 5 big discoveries:
1. A hotel disguised as a bed and breakfast
The property is licensed as a bed and breakfast with permission for only six rooms.
However, authorities found that it had 26 rooms spread over several floors, including the basement and the roof.
2. Illegal restaurant on the ground floor, no NOC
The ground floor is permitted only for a tea and snack shop, officials said. However, a full-fledged restaurant is allegedly operated from the building.
According to officials, the structure never had an approved building plan or fire safety No Objection Certificate (NOC).
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3. One exit, Basement Road, is closed
The building had only one main staircase which served as the main exit. A separate exit designated for the basement was reportedly closed.
4. Thick smoke filled the stairs
Heavy smoke quickly engulfed the stairwell, cutting off the main escape route for guests staying on the upper floors as well as those downstairs.
5. Passengers had difficulty opening the doors due to the digital locks
Local residents claimed that some passengers found it difficult to open room doors equipped with digital locks, further hampering escape efforts.
As flames and smoke spread throughout the building, about nine to 10 people reportedly escaped by jumping out of windows into a narrow corridor on the right side of the building.
Residents gathered below and spread mattresses on the ground to cushion the effects of their fall.
Read also | ‘We asked them to jump’: How locals helped save lives in Delhi fire
What happened in Delhi stay?
The fire broke out at the Flourish Stay B&B in Hauz Rani’s Malviya Nagar area around 8.40am on Wednesday and quickly engulfed the narrow five-storey building, which officials said had only one entry and exit point, locked windows and a sensor-activated main door – a combination that turned the structure into a virtual death trap.
Witnesses and local residents later claimed that the property lacked ventilation, suspecting that this may have led to the building being filled with smoke. DFS Southern Zone Chief Fire Officer AK Malik said the building was sealed off on all sides and was “like a pillar”.
The chief fire officer added: “It is closed on all four sides. Even in the front, there is a facade, and the windows are closed. In buildings like this, the fire often spreads.”
As flames and thick smoke spread throughout the building, unknowingly injuring many occupants and some in their sleep, rescue workers, with the help of local residents, rushed to pull out those trapped inside.
Officials said that at least 58 people were rescued and taken to hospitals, where 21 people were declared dead. Among the victims were nine Indians, eight of whom belonged to a large family.
The death toll from one of Delhi’s worst fire tragedies in recent years could rise further, with many injured remaining in critical condition, officials said.
Many of those killed or injured were foreign citizens from countries in Central Asia and Africa. According to officials, they were staying at the hotel while caring for their relatives who were admitted to the nearby Max Hospital.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police arrested Lavkesh Bajaj, the hotel owner. The police had earlier issued a circular against Bajaj and his wife and launched a search operation to trace the couple.
