‘Door would not open, my brother had to jump from second floor window,’ says Congolese man

A man from Congo jumps from a second-floor window to escape fire in a Delhi B&B, as his room door was electronically locked. Survivors from Kenya hospitalized.

Awakened by shouts and smoke, a 35-year-old man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, staying in a second floor room at the Malviya Nagar B&B Flourish Homestay, broke open a window and jumped to the ground after the fire started on Wednesday. His family said he had no other option as his room door was electronically locked.

Flourish Stay in Hauz Rani, where at least 21 people, including 12 foreigners, were killed in a June 3 morning fire. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

Grace Paye was staying at Flourish Stay after arriving in Delhi to visit his younger brother, Blaise Paye, 39, an interpreter from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“He had first gone to Nagpur to meet our elder brother and then came to visit me. He was staying in the B&B when it caught fire,” Blaise told HT.

According to Blaise, his brother was asleep when the fire broke out. He woke up to commotion outside his room and tried to open the door, but it was jammed.

“He could not get out through the door as it had an electronic lock. He broke a window and jumped from the second floor onto a mattress below. Before jumping, he also threw his luggage out of the window,” Blaise said.

“He suffered injuries to his hand while breaking the window. He was brought to the Max Hospital where he received initial treatment and was discharged on Wednesday itself,” Blaise said.

The incident also caused him to miss a flight to China scheduled for noon. After receiving medical attention, he bought another ticket and left for China, his brother said.

Blaise said he and other members of the Congolese community, who were staying in the area, have temporarily shifted to East of Kailash as hotels and other establishments in Malviya Nagar remained shut following the fire.

Two other survivors, Mohd Warsame and Ubah, had come to Delhi from Kenya for IVF treatment, said their relative Nayeema. The husband and wife are currently admitted to the ICU at Max Hospital, Saket, said Nayeema.

“They jumped from the third floor to escape the blaze. Ubah underwent an operation for a fracture in her leg, but she is stable now. Warsame suffered trauma from the incident and received treatment. They are in the ICU but their condition is better,” she said.