A devastating fire had swept through a hotel building in Delhi. Firefighters rushed to the scene after receiving emergency calls from residents.
Incident Overview
A fire broke out at the Flourish Stay B&B in South Delhi's Malviya Nagar in the Hauz Rani area on June 03, 2026, resulting in the tragic death of at least 21 people from severe burns or from breathing in the heavy smoke.
Many victims were foreign nationals visiting India for medical treatment, along with a family of eight from Gurgaon.
The emergency teams rescued more than 40 residents, and dozens of residents were hospitalised with varying degrees of burn and smoke inhalation injuries.
The Origin
Based on the initial investigation by the Delhi Fire Services, the fire broke out when carelessly stored items caught fire near the building's main staircase.
The fire reportedly erupted between 08:30 AM and 08:50 AM and began on the lower floor near the restaurant's staircase.
Piles of stored materials caught fire, possibly due to an electrical short circuit or faulty temporary lines.
As the fire started next to the only staircase, the flames and toxic smoke raced up the stairs, blocking the guests' only way out while they slept.
It rapidly spread up the five-storey building and partially spread the fire to the adjacent lodge, the Micase Inn.
Firefighters also found LPG cooking cylinders on the property, which caused the fire to spread even faster.
The Victims
A total of 17 to 18 foreign nationalists died in the fire accident, as the hotel was located directly opposite the Max Super Speciality Hospital in Saket, which led to most of the people who were staying in the hotel being people who were undergoing treatment in the hospital or accompanying sick relatives.
The deceased foreigners are citizens from Liberia, including a 40-year-old woman named Roland, Mozambique, including a 40-year-old named Tshipambaachil, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Turkmenistan, including victims Tulkinov Khpumeium, 40, and Makhpirat Khon Kochkaroua, 75.
The Delhi police noted that identifying all these bodies was difficult because many personal identifications were entirely blazed out in the fire.
The remaining victims who died in the fire were Indians, eight members from the same family from Gurgaon who were staying at the hotel to support their relative who was undergoing medical treatment in the hospital. Among the identified victims were: Ashok (56), Vivek (47), Prem Lata (70), Kamla Devi (52)
The Injured And First Responders
Over 30 people were injured in the accident, and many were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Max Hospital, suffering heavy smoke inhalation, severe burns and fractures from jumping out of the windows to escape the flames.
10 Police Officers from Malviya Nagar and Neb Sarai police stations were injured and admitted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre. They were the first ones to arrive on the scene and suffered injuries while breaking into the windows and carrying the unconscious guests out of the smoke.
Major Safety Violations
Investigations by the Delhi Fire Services exposed the massive regulatory failures:
Capacity Fraud
The hotel was licensed under the Delhi Government's Bed & Breakfast Scheme and was permitted to operate only 6 rooms, but it was running 25 rooms illegally, including some in the basement.
No Fire Safety Clearance
The building did not have a mandatory Fire No Objection Certificate (NOC) and completely lacked any internal firefighting infrastructure.
Structural Death Trap
The building had permanently sealed windows and a single entry and exit point via a shared staircase and upper-floor extension, completely cutting off emergency evacuation routes.
Legal And Administration Action
Owner Arrested
Hours after the incident erupted, the Delhi Police arrested the hotel owner, Lavkesh Bajaj.
Interrogation revealed that he fled the scene in fear after witnessing the blaze at the hotel and did nothing to help the guests there.
Criminal Case
A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against the owner under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and Section 326 (mischief by fire).
Government Relief
PM Narendra Modi has expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the dead people and announced ex gratia compensation of ₹2 Lakh from the PMNR for the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta called for an immediate crackdown and safety compliance drive targeting illegal guest houses across the country.
Escape From The Inferno
A video has emerged online depicting a foreign nationalist fleeing from the hotel building through the smoke.
It shows a man holding onto a nearby pole as he tries to escape the fire.
In another video, two women leapt from a window to escape a fire, and the residents below caught them by placing a mattress on the ground in preparation for their jump.
The incident has raised concerns about fire safety in the densely populated urban area, with experts calling for stricter inspections and greater accountability to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
