Desperate jumps, no ventilation: How fire at South Delhi BnB spread and choked to death 21, including foreigners

LOcals saw the blaze out spreading and people jumping from windows in a do-or-die(a) call to get away as the discharge tragedy at a B&B in Delhi's Malviya Nagar unfolded on Wednesday morning, killing at least 21 people while many others were hospitalised for burn treatment.The blaze at Flourish Stay B&B, near Max Hospital, was reported to the Delhi fire department at around 8:48 am on Wednesday, according to an official statement. Track live updates from Delhi Malviya Nagar fire hereThe fire was extinguished with the assistance of eight fire tenders, per the official statement from DCP South Anant Mittal. Through the coordinated efforts of Police, Fire Services, and other emergency responders, more than 40 persons have been rescued and shifted to nearby hospitals for medical treatment, Mittal stated. Several of those killed are foreigners, mainly from Central Asia and Africa, PTI news agency quoted officials as saying.Witnesses and officials recall horrorResidents and officials stated that the BnB was used mostly by people who needed a place to stay while awaiting treatment at the nearby Max Hospital. One resident told HT that the building, like many others in the area, lacked ventilation.“Unfortunately a lot of buildings here are built similarly, with no ventilation. I suspect this is what allowed the fire to spread so much. People were jumping from the upper floors onto mattresses, as the smoke had filled the entire building,” said Giriraj Prajapati (40), who lives nearby and was at the site when the fire began.A Bangladesh resident said his brother narrowly escaped the tragedy as he stepped out just 10 minutes before the fire started. “My mother was scheduled to get a knee replacement surgery this morning, so me, her, and my brother were staying here for the past five days. I was in the hosptial with her, and thankfully my brother left the building ten minutes before the fire started. However, all our passports and belongings are inside, and we are worried that those might have been burnt. The building was not well ventilated, as there were no windows, not even in the bathrooms,” said 26-year-old Minhazul Hassan , a law graduate who had travelled here from Bangladesh for his mother's surgery.A local resident named, Om, said he saw a very intense fire at around 9:30 am when he and his friend were on a scooter. He said he saw several people jumping from the building in a bid to escape the fire."At around 9:30, we saw there was a very intense fire here. My friend and I were on a scooter at that time, the entire fire was raging, and people were jumping from the building from here and there. We saw about 5 people jumping... One person also broke their leg. The entire road was blocked here. There was a crowd...," Om said, speaking to ANI news agency. Another local, Sher Khan, recalled how first responders spread mattresses to save those jumping from the building as the blaze escalated from a small fire to a massive tragedy."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 passed...," Khan said.Fire officer AK Malik said that as soon as his team reached the site, it rescued 37 people from the building, which was housing people who were being treated at the Max hospital.This is a multi-story building. It consists of a basement, a ground floor, and five upper floors. Based on inquiries made with people at the site, we have gathered that this building does not function as a standalone residential complex. Rather, it appears that most of the occupants were individuals whose known people were being treated in the Max Hospital located directly across the street," Malik said."Therefore, it is likely that these individuals were staying here for that specific purpose, he said, confirming that the fatalities included foreign nationals."Yes, foreign nationals were also among the occupants... The fire was brought under control quite early on—it was contained very quickly. We have now cleared the building, and opened it up for the police," he said.