At least 21 people were killed and over 40 rescued after a massive fire broke out in a BnB building on Wednesday. Several of the injured were admitted to nearby hospitals with burn injuries, fractures and symptoms of asphyxiation.
The blaze ripped through the multi-storey building located in a densely populated residential lane. Videos circulating from the scene also showed at least two people jumping from the upper floors in a desperate attempt to escape the fire.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured.
Authorities probe lapses
South Delhi SDM Jitendra Kumar said that a restaurant was reportedly operating on the ground floor and the fire was “most likely connected” to it. Authorities are now probing whether the establishment had the mandatory fire safety clearance and permissions required to operate as a bed-and-breakfast facility.
The scale of the tragedy triggered an immediate crackdown order from the Delhi government. Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood directed officials to seal all BnBs found violating approved building plans or prescribed operational norms.
“The building owner responsible for negligence will be arrested shortly. We will not spare any illegal building or those found guilty,” Sood commented.
“There is no need to issue showcause notices or give time for explanations. Just seal all the BnBs violating norms,” Sood said during a visit to the site.
The minister also ordered the formation of a high-level committee under the South Delhi District Magistrate to inspect BnBs across Malviya Nagar and other parts of the national capital.
Officials have been asked to submit a report by Wednesday evening detailing the number of BnBs operating in the city, the extent of violations detected and the action taken against them.
The incident has once again put the spotlight on concerns over lax enforcement of fire safety norms in Delhi’s congested residential neighbourhoods, where commercial establishments often operate from modified buildings with limited emergency access.
A statement issued by Max Hospital, Saket, said 39 patients were brought to the emergency department following what it described as a “cylinder blast incident”. The hospital said patients suffered from smoke inhalation, minor burns and fractures and were being treated by multidisciplinary medical teams.
Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes during the rescue effort. Wasim Raja, a local resident who helped rescue occupants, told ANI that nearby residents used mattresses from a neighbouring shop to cushion the fall of people jumping from the building.
“We were among the first to arrive. There is a mattress shop nearby, and we spread mattresses on the road to help those jumping from the building,” Raja told ANI.