Head constables who were the first respondents after the fire

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Police and firefighters at the site in Malviya Nagar after a fire broke out at a Hotel in a five-storey building, in New Delhi on June 3, 2026. | Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

As a massive fire engulfed a bed-and-breakfast facility in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar on Wednesday morning, police personnel, along with local residents, risked their lives to rescue guests trapped inside the building.

The constables reached the spot as soon as they received information, wearing casuals, slippers and without protective gear.

Head constable Dinesh Yadav of Malviya Nagar police station reached the site around 9 a.m. and saw people trapped inside, their hands visible through the windows. He rescued two Nigerian women trapped on the second floor.

“I climbed a ladder and broke open the bathroom window with my bare hands. An elderly woman, who was probably undergoing treatment, was trapped inside along with her attendant. A massive cloud of smoke billowed out as soon as I broke the glass. I went inside and asked the attendant to hold her legs while I held her by the arms. The fumes were extremely toxic and the smoke was so dense that nothing was visible,” Mr. Yadav said.

He spotted a couple trapped inside on the first floor, but there was no opening through which he could enter.

On the third floor, another Nigerian couple was desperately looking for a way out. The constables guided them to climb down a rainwater pipe and jump onto mattresses that had been laid out below. The woman’s husband was also rescued.

“The sad part was that I was not able to save those who were on the first floor,” Mr. Yadav said.

Within seconds, electrical wires began sparking and exploding, causing some guests to retreat instead of jumping from the burning building.

“There were three persons on the opposite side of the building. Only one could be saved. The other two died. They were a couple from Kazakhstan who could not muster the courage to jump,” he said.

On the fourth floor, Mr. Yadav found two pers