Delhi hotel fire: Locals turn saviours amid wails, screams, burning bodies
Rescuers say building’s single entry-exit point and lack of accessible windows made the rescue operation difficult
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Police personnel at a site of a fire in a restaurant at Malviya Nagar, in New Delhi on June 3, 2026. | Photo Credit: ANI
As thick smoke engulfed a five-storey bed-and-breakfast hotel in Delhi’s Hauz Rani area on Wednesday (June 3, 2026) morning, local residents rushed to rescue trapped occupants even before the fire tenders arrived.
The blaze, which broke out around 8.30 a.m., spread across three floors of the building, leaving several guests stranded inside amid dense smoke and panic. The establishment reportedly had only one common entry and exit point and no emergency staircase.
Sixty-one-year-old Riyazuddin, who runs a roadside shop opposite the building, said he quickly pulled out mattresses from his shed and spread them below the building’s windows to help people jump to safety.
Moments later, trapped residents began jumping through windows to escape the flames. Not all rooms had windows while some were jammed shut and unbreakable.
“I laid out around 15 mattresses. One man who rolled over from the second floor broke his leg. Everything was extremely tense,” said Riyazuddin.
Later, Mohammed Israr Khan, another resident, also helped push people out of the window. Mr. Khan, 40, rushed to the spot after receiving a call from his brother around 8.40 am. Along with Wasim, Amir, Shahrukh, Afzal, Hazi, and Anish, he helped pull victims out and carry them to ambulances.
The locality, due to its proximity to the Max Hospital, has many hotels used by patients and their families visiting the capital for treatment. Locals also said that the majority of the occupants are foreign nationals on medical visas.
“When we entered the building with police and rescue teams, we could not see anything. There was only smoke, screams and wailing from every floor,” Mr. Khan said, adding, “Many were trapped in the basement. Some bodies were still burning, but we used our bare hands. Time is critical in such situations.”
Mr. Khan said he performed CPR on eight people. “I vomited a couple of tim
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