Three cops rescue eight hotel guests in Paharganj fire

According to police, 11 fire tenders were used to douse the fire, and eight guests were rescued in the firefighting operation that lasted for nearly one-and-a-half-hour. The three injured men were taken to Ram Manohar Lohia and Lok Nayak hospitals

New Delhi: Three people were injured, with one sustaining nearly 60% burns, in a fire at a multi-storey hotel in central Delhi’s Paharganj early Thursday morning, police said.

Representative photo (Reuters)

According to police, 11 fire tenders were used to douse the fire, and eight guests were rescued in the firefighting operation that lasted for nearly one-and-a-half-hour. The three injured men are undergoing treatment at Ram Manohar Lohia and Lok Nayak hospitals.

Deputy commissioner of police (central) Anant Mittal said police were informed about the fire at Hotel Pallavi Palace at 3.08am, and SHO Gulshan Nagpal along with three constables – Mukul, Feru and Sanjay – were sent to the spot.

“The four-story hotel, comprising 18 rooms, was filled with thick smoke and intense flames, trapping most of the guests and making evacuation extremely challenging,” said DCP Mittal.

Mittal added that the main entrance was completely blocked by fire, making direct entry impossible. The three constables first spotted the three guests trapped on the fourth floor balcony of the adjoining hotel and attempting to jump down from there to save their lives, he said.

“We first requested the three men to stay put and assured them that we will safely rescue them. An iron grill and glass separated the balconies of the two hotels, preventing their further movement. We broke the glass and iron barrier and safely moved the guests to the neighbouring hotel’s balcony,” said constable Mukul.

As the fire had already engulfed the hotel, with the reception area on the ground floor identified as the point of origin and the first floor also in flames, the three constables decided to access its upper floors, where other guests were trapped, through the adjoining hotel’s terrace. They reached the rooftop and used a ladder to come down to the second floor of the hotel on fire, where three guests with burn injuries were trapped.

The three injured men were taken to the adjoining hotel’s rooftop where they were given water to drink before being brought down through the staircase and sent to two hospitals in ambulances. Two other guests in room number 203 were also rescued after breaking its door. They were unaware of the fire. A thorough check of all rooms was conducted to ensure that no guest was left trapped inside the hotel, the DCP said.

Police said of the eight rescued people, five belonged to Karnataka and they were known to each other. However, their names were not shared by the police.