Race against smoke and time: Inside the rescue operation at Delhi hotel inferno that killed 21
Local residents also joined rescue efforts, arranging mattresses on the road for people trapped on the upper floors.
NEW DELHI: A large-scale rescue operation involving the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), police and ambulance services was launched on Wednesday after a massive fire broke out at Flourish Stay B&B in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar, killing at least 21 people and injuring several others.The Delhi Fire Service received a call about the fire at around 8.50 am and rushed multiple fire tenders to the spot.Abhilash Kumar Malik, chief fire officer (South Zone) stated, “We received a call at 8.50am that a restaurant was on fire. 7 vehicles were initially dispatched, along with an Assistant Divisional Officer. However, as calls increased, we increased the number of vehicles and the officers’ category. When our team initially arrived, they conducted firefighting and a search operation. We evacuated 39 people from there and transferred them to Niras Hospital. the total number of victims has been transferred to two different hospitals. We’ve sent teams to different hospitals to gather details. We’ve just received details from Max Hospital. 38 people are admitted, of whom 18 are dead, 20 are injured.”
“Our people who were there told us that there were some foreigners there as well, and one of our firemen was also injured; his hand was cut or had a slight cut on it. I inspected the building thoroughly from top to bottom while we were conducting our search. The structure consists of a basement, a ground floor, and five upper stories. For the entire building, there is only a single staircase alongside an elevator. The building is completely sealed off. The front facade is entirely covered, and every single window, including those in the bathrooms, is tightly sealed. There is not a single window left open to allow for proper ventilation or smoke removal,” he added.Malik further said, “In a fire accident, structures built like this act exactly like a chimney. The moment a fire breaks out, the single enclosed column forces all the dense smoke and intense heat to rise immediately to the upper floors. This happens so rapidly that occupants are completely cut off and have no time to safely evacuate. When we were conducting rescue operations alongside Prime Asia, we quickly realised that the building completely lacked an internal fire protection system.“
A DFS statement said, “A fire broke out at a restaurant in Malviya Nagar today. Delhi Fire Services (DFS) received a call at 09.45am. Three people have been rescued from the basement by DFS personnel and rushed to the hospital via CATS Ambulance. Divisional Officer (DO) Ravinder from Nehru Place (NRN) fire station is on the spot.”Local residents also joined rescue efforts, arranging mattresses on the road for people trapped on the upper floors.“The fire broke out at about 8.50 am. We rushed to the spot to see that the entire building was on fire. There is a mattress shop at the corner from where we took out mattresses and laid them on the road. People started to jump out of the building from second and third floor. The fire fighting team had reached the spot immediately and started rescue work,” eyewitness Wasim Raj said.Another resident, Sher Khan, said, “I was going to the shop in the morning. There was a small fire here at first, then it kept increasing. As the fire increased, it seemed as if there was no way to jump from here. People spread mattresses, and some from the 3rd floor jumped on it with a little kid. She was saying that she fractured her leg. The public made a lot of effort. However, the situation becomes intense as time passes.“
Max Healthcare Group Medical Director Dr Sandeep Budhiraja said, “Those on ventilators are critical. There are seven or eight such patients. Age is across the spectrum. The ones I’ve seen range from thirty to fifty years old… There were one or two who had severe scalding, severe burns, but the majority had lung problems… Around 9.15 am, we could see the smoke across the road.”Officials said the fire was later brought under control and the building was cleared for further investigation. The cause of the blaze is yet to be ascertained.Political leaders across party lines expressed grief over the incident. Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta said emergency services were immediately mobilised and that the government was closely monitoring the situation.Lieutenant governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu described the incident as “deeply distressing” and directed officials to ensure immediate relief measures and conduct a thorough investigation.
Delhi minister Ashish Sood said strict action would be taken against those found responsible. He added that authorities were examining the building’s permissions, NOC compliance and licensing-related issues.According to news agency PTI, former AAP MLA Somnath Bharti alleged that the fire may have been caused by a short circuit.(With Agency Inputs)
