Inferno in Karol Bagh hotel kills 17
According to Delhi Fire Services, a call about the fire was received at 4.35 am from Hotel Arpit Palace
NEW DELHI: As many as 17 guests died after a massive fire gutted a four-floor hotel in Central Delhi’s Karol Bagh area on Tuesday morning. Police have registered a case in this regard while the Delhi government ordered a magisterial probe.
The deceased include an Income Tax officer and two foreign nationals from Myanmar. Investigators suspect a short circuit behind the incident. “We are waiting for CFSL report in the case which will confirm the reason behind the fire,” an investigator said.
According to Delhi Fire Services, a call about the fire was received at 4.35 am from Hotel Arpit Palace Crossroads restaurant, and 24 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. “25 people were safely evacuated. We also found that two panic-stricken persons jumped from the hotel,” said Chief Fire Officer (DFS) Atul Garg. “Most of the bodies were found on the third and fourth
floor. They were partially burnt. We suspect that people who were sleeping there might have died due to suffocation,” added Garg.
It is being suspected that the fire started from the first floor and within minutes top
four floors of the building were engulfed in flames. An eyewitness, Dilip, a native of Ahmedabad was staying on the first floor of the hotel when the fire started.” Early in the morning, I heard people crying when I
opened the door suddenly my room was filled with smoke, so I
left the room. It was a stampedelike situation on the stairs,” said Dilip. The emergency exit was “too narrow”. There were also a
lot of wooden structures which may have helped the fire spread.
According to North Delhi Municipal Corporation, a short circuit may have caused the fire. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Mandeep Singh Randhawa said that they had regis-
tered the case under sections 308 and 304 of Indian Penal Code.
“We have registered the case against the owner of the hotel and arrested two employees identified as Vijendra and Vikas,” said DCP Central.
NEW DELHI: The initial investigation by Delhi Police in the Karol Bagh’s hotel fire incident revealed that some blockage was there in the emergency exit route of the hotel. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Mandeep Singh Randhawa stated that prima facie revealed negligence from the side of the hotel. “We have filed the case against Subhendu Goel (Owner). Lapses found from the part of two employees Vijender (General Manager) and Vikas (Manager),” said Singh adding that Goel is absconding.
When asked whether the hotel was going for an auction DCP said they are probing the case. “We have seized some papers in the case,” said DCP adding that the case has been transferred to the crime branch. As many as five women died in the incident. “Two who jump from the hotel died in the incident,” said the officer adding that three Myanmar national were also the victims in the incident.
“People from all over the state were inside the hotel and after the incident, we first conducted rescue operation and then started the identification of the deceased. Victims were counselled,” added the DCP. Wooden cascading and close windows led to hotel tragedy
Wooden cascading and close windows in the morning led to the mass casualty inside the hotel of Karol Bagh area. The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) claimed that most of the bodies found on the third and fourth with partial burn injuries.
Around 4:35 am the DFS got the information regarding fire and without wasting time they reached the spot. As the incident took place in the morning, people inside the hotel were sleeping. “Basically when the DFS teams entered the hotel it was filled with smoke because the routes including windows were closed,” said Chief Fire Officer (DFS) Atul Garg.
He further stated that stairs had wooden cascading and there were many combustible materials inside the hotel which act as a catalyst in spreading the fire. “The place has fire NOC and fire extinguishers were also there. We will form a team and investigate whether the equipment was working or not,” said Garg. It is being suspected that the fire gutted the first exit route connecting the main door. According to police, poor wiring can be another reason behind the fire. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team also conducted a final search with their canines inside the hotel.