21 die in fire at south Delhi B&B, 40 rescued. Cause of fire not yet known

The blaze triggered panic as guests tried to escape smoke-filled rooms. Some people jumped out of higher floors of the building on to mattresses laid out on the road by locals, an official said.

Charred remains of the B&B where a fire broke out at Malviya Nagar, in New Delhi Wednesday morning | ANI

New Delhi: Over 21 people have died and several being treated for severe burns, after a fire in a restaurant in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar area.

The fire has been extinguished, but rescue and search operations are still underway, and all concerned agencies continue to be deployed at the spot, a police officer said. Around 40 people have been rescued so far.

A senior Delhi Police oFficer said they received information about the fire at 8.48 am at the Flourish Stay B&B in south Delhi. Local police staff reached the spot and commenced rescue, evacuation, and relief operations. Fire officials said the blaze triggered panic as guests tried to escape their smoke-engulfed rooms.

Several of the injured were rushed to the nearby Max Hospital, Saket, and the AIIMS trauma centre for treatment.

Jitendra Kumar, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), South District, told reporters that they activated the DDMA cell as soon as they received a call.

“We have come to know that a restaurant was operating on the ground floor of this building. The cause of the fire is still not known. Four bodies have been retrieved so far. 7-8 people, including the injured, have been taken to the hospital for treatment. Some people from the floors above jumped out of the building on the mattresses laid on the road by the locals,” he said earlier Wednesday.

MLA Satish Upadhyay, who was also at the spot, said the incident was “unfortunate”. He told reporters that as soon as officials were informed about the fire, the entire system was activated.

“We contacted the disaster management team, the District Magistrate of our area, the Station House Officer (SHO), the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), and the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the municipal corporation (MCD).”

Further, he said, “We mobilised all concerned authorities, and I personally came to the spot as well. The exact cause of the fire will be known only after a proper investigation. The local residents have also helped a lot during this difficult time. More detailed information will be available later. We are gathering complete details from the administrative officials.”

(Edited by Viny Mishra)