As thick black smoke rose from the Flourish Stay bed and breakfast in South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar on Wednesday morning, panic spread quickly. Guests trapped inside the five-storey building screamed for help from windows as flames swallowed parts of the hotel.
Before fire officials reached the spot, it was local residents, shopkeepers and workers who rushed in to help.
Some climbed inside the smoke-filled building. Others spread mattresses on the narrow street below so people could jump to safety. A few performed CPR on unconscious victims pulled from inside.
Among those leading the rescue were Amir Khan, Mohammad Shoaib, Wasim Raja and Mohammad Afzal, residents of nearby Hauz Rani village. Along with several others, they entered the burning building despite the danger.
At least 21 people lost their lives in the fire, while many others were injured. Several victims were foreign nationals and families who had come to Delhi for medical treatment at nearby hospitals.
Mattresses Turned Into Lifelines
As people trapped inside began breaking windows to escape smoke, 61-year-old Riyazuddin, known in the neighbourhood as “mattresswala,” realised there was little time to waste.
He quickly pulled mattresses out of his nearby shop and spread them across the lane below the hotel.
“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 told Hindustan Times.
“We told them to jump and assured them we had spread mattresses below.”
Within minutes, around 20 to 22 mattresses had been placed outside the building, according to Armaan, another local shopkeeper.
“There was a massive fire, and nobody could get inside or come out,” Armaan told PTI. “We spread the mattresses outside, and people jumped from the windows. Most of them survived because of that.”
Residents also used ropes, sticks and bricks to break windows and create escape routes.
‘People Were Unconscious Inside’
For Wasim Raja, the morning quickly turned into a rescue mission.
A resident of Hauz Rani and a security officer at Max Hospital in Saket, Raja rushed inside the building with local residents and police personnel.
“There were people unconscious inside the building. I performed CPR on several victims between the basement and upper floors,” he said.
He recalled rescuing people trapped in the basement after an iron grill was cut open.
Inside, the scenes were devastating.
“We pulled out charred bodies and many people were crying for help,” Raja said.
When systems fail, individual heroes rise. These are people who rescued people and administered CPR in the hauz rani fire . (L to R) Amir Khan, Mohd Shoaib, Wasim Raja and Mohd Afzal pic.twitter.com/8YMACVCZFg
— sunetra choudhury (@sunetrac) June 4, 2026
Mohammad Shoaib, who also works at Max Hospital and has emergency response training, joined the effort without hesitation.
“We found many people unconscious because of the smoke,” Shoaib said. “I gave CPR to several people and some regained consciousness before ambulances arrived.”
For many trapped guests, smoke became deadlier than flames. Locals said visibility inside was so poor that victims could not find staircases or exits.
Mohammad Israr Khan, another resident who entered the building, said several doors had to be broken open.
“The heat inside was unbearable, but we kept carrying people out,” he said.
Chaos, Fear and Cries for Help
Residents say the neighbourhood woke up to chaos around 8 am when vegetable vendors first noticed the fire.
Mansoori, an eyewitness, said cries for help echoed through the area as people trapped inside banged on windows.
“People trapped inside were screaming for help,” he said.
According to locals, the hotel had only one narrow electronic gate. When the electricity failed, the gate stopped working, leaving many with no clear way to escape.
Malviya Nagar fire: Trader Riyazuddin's mattresses, quilts become lifesavers.
— News Arena India (@NewsArenaIndia) June 3, 2026
After rushing to the scene with his staff, Riyazuddin Mansuri spread dozens of quilts and mattresses on the ground outside the burning building, creating a cushion that allowed trapped residents to… pic.twitter.com/o3eMnC7FNC
Several residents claimed locals had already begun rescue efforts before fire tenders arrived.
“People from nearby buildings used ropes and mattresses to rescue victims before emergency teams came,” one resident said.
The Delhi Fire Service said it received a call at 8:50 am and reached the spot immediately. Officials said 37 people were rescued.
Questions Over Safety
Hours after the tragedy, police arrested hotel owner Lavkesh Bajaj, who allegedly fled the scene after the fire broke out.
During questioning, Bajaj reportedly admitted that he panicked and drove away instead of helping with rescue efforts.
Investigators say the building had serious fire safety violations. These included sealed windows, a single exit point and more rooms than permitted under the bed and breakfast licence scheme.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident and announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh for the families of those killed and ₹50,000 for those injured.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visited Max Hospital in Saket on Thursday to meet survivors and review treatment arrangements.
The Delhi government has announced ₹10 lakh compensation for the families of each deceased person, while those seriously injured will receive ₹5 lakh. Officials also said medical expenses would be covered and arrangements made to transport the bodies of victims to their native homes.
But in the narrow lanes of Malviya Nagar, many residents say the first faces of rescue were not officials in uniform.
They were neighbours who ran into smoke when others were trying to escape.
