'We told them to jump’: How locals helped save lives in Delhi fire

AS smoking billowed come out of brandish stay on on wed morning and cries for help from upper-floor windows filled the narrow lane in Hauz Rani, the first people to respond were not firefighters or disaster personnel. They were neighbours, shopkeepers, locals and guests from nearby lodges who rushed fearlessly towards the burning building and improvised a rescue operation that saved dozens of lives.Among them was 61-year-old Riyazuddin, who runs a mattress shop opposite the B&B. As flames spread through the building, he hurriedly began dragging mattresses under the windows on the lane beside it.Also Read | Dodgy licences, unauthorised expansion among violations to surface after Delhi fireMattress laid to save people“We quickly understood that the fire had started on the ground floor and people on the upper floors were trapped because the staircase was filled with smoke,” Riyazuddin recalled. “We saw guests opening windows. Some had to break the glass to create an escape route. We told them to jump and assured them we had laid mattresses below.”Within minutes, he said, he pulled out every mattress in his shop and spread them across the narrow lane. Videos from the scene showed horrific visuals of people jumping in a desperate attempt to save their lives.Locals, traders and workers from nearby establishments converged on the scene as people trapped inside leaned out of windows, begging for help. Some attempted to force their way into the building even before emergency services arrived, only to be driven back by thick smoke and intense heat.Also Read | Delhi hotel building owner Lavkesh Bajaj arrested after Malviya Nagar fire kills 21Only one exit, filled with smokeSanjay Goyal, who runs a grocery shop nearby, joined Riyazuddin in arranging mattresses and bedsheets to cushion those trying to escape. “There was only one exit, and it was filled with smoke… The heat was so intense that even people trying to enter the building to help had to rush back out for air,” he said.Others improvised rescue equipment using whatever was available. Ladders were tied together with ropes to reach upper floors, while locals worked to break windows and guide trapped guests to safety.The area around Hauz Rani, dotted with budget lodges and guest houses, is often used by patients and caregivers visiting nearby hospitals. Many residents knew that the building was likely occupied by people unfamiliar with the locality and unable to find an escape route in the chaos.Wasim Raja, a security officer at Max Hospital in Saket who lives nearby, was among those who rushed to help. He said he moved repeatedly through the smoke-filled structure searching for survivors and administering CPR to victims. “I performed CPR on at least 10 people between the basement and the third floor,” Raja said.As firefighters and rescue personnel began operations, local volunteers entered the building alongside them. What they encountered inside, they said, was a scene of devastation.Also Read | Delhi orders month-long fire safety crackdown after Hauz Rani tragedy‘Will haunt forever’: RajaSome of the scenes Raja witnessed, he said, will haunt him forever.Among the victims, he said, was an African couple found inside a ground-floor washroom. “The woman was seated on the toilet, while her husband was beside her, holding her head on his shoulder in what appeared to be their final moments,” he said.Mohammad Israr Khan, 40, was among those who entered the building after the flames were brought under partial control. “People were covered in soot. Some were crying and screaming for help. Many had severe injuries. We saw several dead bodies and helped carry them outside wrapped in bedsheets,” he said.Mohammad Shoaib, 35, who had previously worked as a fire emergency trainer, joined the effort after hearing about the blaze. By then, several people had already jumped from the windows onto mattresses below. “Around nine people jumped from the building,” he said“When we were finally able to enter, it was a horrible sight... There were people who still had a pulse but were not breathing properly… I administered CPR to eight such people. Three of them regained consciousness,” he said.AK Malik, chief fire officer of DFS south zone, told HT that a call was received at 8.50am, and initially seven fire tenders were sent. “As we started getting more calls, we increased the deployment of vehicles and DFS officials. A total of 37 people were rescued. The fire was extinguished around 10.25am.”Firefighters searched room after room while volunteers helped carry survivors to ambulances waiting outside. Residents also coordinated with nearby hospitals and arranged transport for the injured.Among those who narrowly escaped was 26-year-old Bangladeshi national Minhazul Hassan, whose mother had been admitted to a nearby hospital for knee replacement surgery. “My brother left the B&B barely 10 minutes before the fire… Everything we owned there, including our passports and belongings, has been destroyed. We were fortunate to escape,” Hassan said.