New Delhi: A tea break, an unattended oil fryer left burning, and a cook who quietly walked away without alerting anyone as flames began to spread — these lapses have now emerged as critical links in a chain of failures leading to the Malviya Nagar hotel fire that claimed 22 lives.
Investigations have revealed that a nearly 30-minute delay before the first emergency call was made allowed the fire to intensify unchecked, turning what began as a routine kitchen oversight into a devastating tragedy that may have been prevented with timely action.
According to the police, the fire at Flourish Stays B&B in Malviya Nagar’s Hauz Rani area on June 3 began after an oil fryer was inadvertently left switched on while the cook prepared tea for himself.
As the oil in the fryer reached its auto-ignition temperature, it ignited suddenly, setting the ceiling ablaze and triggering a rapidly-spreading fire that quickly engulfed the building. The blaze spread faster, fuelled further by highly inflammable materials such as cartons stored within the premises.
While the probe deepened, hotel owner Lavkesh Bajaj’s close associate and accountant Jay Mishra (34) surrendered before a Delhi court on Monday and was sent to two days’ police custody. Investigators believe Mishra played a key role in the day-to-day management of the establishment and are examining his involvement in the hotel’s operations, finances, licensing and compliance with safety regulations.
Police are also preparing to seek technical assistance from IIT-Delhi to scientifically examine how the blaze spread so rapidly through the building.
Officials said the institute may be asked to conduct a structural and fire-propagation study, including possible 3D mapping of the gutted premises, to help reconstruct the sequence of events and identify factors that trapped occupants inside.
According to investigators, three staff members were present in the building when the fire started on June 4 — cook Keshav Negi, a helper sleeping on the top floor, and manager Rupesh alias Rakesh.
During questioning, Negi allegedly told police that he switched on a fryer containing oil and then prepared tea for himself. While drinking tea, he forgot that the fryer was still running. After it overheated, it burst into flames that spread to the ceiling before engulfing nearby combustible material.
Police said Negi initially attempted to extinguish the flames but fled when the fire grew beyond his control.
Investigators allege that he failed to warn guests, inform neighbours or call emergency services despite having sufficient time to do so.
“The gap between the first signs of fire and the first call to police was around half an hour. This period is being closely examined because timely evacuation and alerting authorities could have reduced the scale of the tragedy,” a source said.
The helper sleeping on the top floor escaped by jumping from the terrace, while manager Rupesh allegedly fled from the reception area on the ground floor. Police are still searching for him.
Investigators believe the failure of staff members to immediately raise an alarm may have contributed to the high death toll. A Nigerian national undergoing treatment succumbed to injuries on Saturday, taking the number of deaths to 22. The deceased was identified as Okale, who had suffered severe burn injuries and was undergoing
treatment at Safdarjung
Hospital. With PTI inputs
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