Delhi hotel where blaze killed 17 didn''t have fire-safety measures in place

Prateek Chauhan
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, February 12

The Delhi hotel, where a fire killed 17 people on Tuesday, did not have any fire-safety measures in place, a fire officer said, adding there was no emergency exit route.

"When the fire broke out, around 100 guests and 15-20 hotel employees were present in the hotel. The people who woke up were successful in saving their lives, while the rest got caught inside the inferno," said fire officer Sunil Chaudhary.

Read: 17 killed as massive fire breaks out in hotel in Delhi's Karol Bagh

The Delhi Police arrested the general manager and another staff member, an officer said.

The hotel’s general manager, Rajender, and manager, Vikas, have been arrested for culpable homicide, DCP (central) Mandeep Singh Randhawa said.

The hotel owner, Shardendu Goel, is absconding after the incident, he said.

Randhawa said the case has been transferred to the Crime Branch.

All the windows of the hotel rooms got jammed because they were not opened for long time due to centralised AC, he added.

The fire brigade personnel therefore had to use ladders to break the windows to reach the hotel rooms, he added.

The fire incident in which 17 people lost their lives are believed to be from one family from Kochi in Kerala who had yesterday reached Delhi to attend a marriage ceremony, according to a Delhi police senior officer.

The death in the hotel fire occurred mostly due to suffocation. However, several bodies which were brought to the hospital were found to be completely burnt, said DFS officials. 

During the fire incident four to five people jumped from the hotel building. According to eyewitness, two persons took the help of pillows and jumped from the hotel building during which both lost their lives, he added.

The hotel has four floors, including basement and has 65 rooms. The fire started from first floor of the hotel which further spread to other floors of the hotel.