New Delhi: No fire safety certificate, no windows, only one functional gate, no fire-fighting equipment and illegal construction—these are some of the fire hazards at the south Delhi B&B that led to the death of at least 21 people Wednesday morning.
By the time fire tenders reached Flourish Stays in Malviya Nagar, the fire had spread to the first and second floors and the electric cables near the house. A Delhi Fire Service (DFS) official told The Print: “When rescue operations started we spotted that there was a single entry-exit gate and the two exits in the basement were sealed, so we had to mechanically cut through the iron shutter and begin the rescue operation.”
Several witnesses told ThePrint that before the DFS reached the spot, despite hotel guests screaming for help, they could not escape the building as there were no windows. “The front part of the hotel had blocked glass walls from where we could see guests crying for help, but they could not open the windows and even jump,” said Shivani Soni, a resident of Hauz Rani.
“We could see a man go to the terrace of the hotel and try to escape, while some ran to the basement to escape. However, the main entry gate was locked and no one could exit,” Wasim Raj, a resident of Malviya Nagar told ThePrint.
Meanwhile, a senior DFS official told ThePrint that the hotel never applied for a fire no objection certificate. “We have no data on the hotel since the owner never applied for a fire permit,” said the official.
According to safety rules for commercial property, the owner has to apply for the NOC with detailed paperwork including a building plan, architect’s completion certificate, proof of installation of fire fighting systems like alarms and extinguishers.
“Following this, we send our officials to the spot for a check. They write a detailed report and an NOC is sent over the post, and it should be displayed in the hotel’s lobby area,” said the official.
Apart from the lack of NOC, the building had also allegedly violated building permits. “In 2024, the B&B was granted permission to run with only six rooms, however, today, after the fire incident we have learnt that there were 24 rooms operating,” said Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood.
The police have filed an FIR against owner Lovkesh Bajaj, and booked him under BNS sections pertaining to culpable homicide, causing hurt by negligence and damage to property. “The owner was informed by the locals that a fire had broken out, following which he had reached the spot, but when he learnt about the casualties, he left the spot and has been absconding since,” said a senior Delhi Police officer, adding that a lookout notice has been issued to ensure he can not leave the country.
Following the fire, Delhi LG Sardar T. S. Sandhu, along with Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood chaired a high-level review meeting to formulate an action plan for fire accident prevention, enforcement and immediate casualty relief. They ordered a magisterial inquiry with terms of reference under the area District Magistrate and have ordered a probe to fix responsibility.
A one-month drive will begin June 4 to check compliance of fire safety norms in all hotels, lodges, inns, nursing homes, coaching institutes, restaurants and other vulnerable commercial establishments. Further, police, MCD and tourism department officials have been asked to hold joint meetings with all hotel associations in the city and communicate enforcement of fire norms and conditions of tourism and building licences. All rooms of hotels, lodges and inns exceeding permissions will be closed.
“Home department of Delhi will be the nodal department and lead the campaign of spreading awareness,” Home Minister Ashish Sood said.
Delhi Fire Service and Delhi Police have also been directed to conduct accessibility surveys to identify bottlenecks and chokepoints for fire tenders.
Authorities will also identify dead bodies on priority and communicate immediately with embassies and next of kin.
Of the 21 people who died in the fire, 11 were foreign nationals and 10 were Indians. Sixteen people were injured, including five foreign nationals and 11 Indians. Of the nine people in critical condition, six are foreign nationals and three are Indians. Two people who are originally from Nepal, have been discharged.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)