NEW DELHI: As thick smoke engulfed a hotel building in Malviya Nagar and panic spread among trapped guests, local residents risked their lives to rescue victims from the blaze.
“When we entered the building, several people were lying unconscious,” recalled Waseem Raja, one of the first responders and a staff member at a hospital in Saket.
Drawing on his medical training, Raja and others immediately began administering CPR to victims pulled out from the smoke-filled premises. “There was so much smoke that people could barely breathe. We managed to revive around five to ten people,” he said.
Raja said panic spread around 8:50 am after news of the fire emerged and large crowds gathered at the spot. By the time locals arrived, the entire hotel was engulfed in flames.
“We helped place mattresses on the ground as people jumped from upper floors to save themselves. One person suffered a leg injury while jumping. Police and firefighters soon began rescue operations. We also entered the building and found several unconscious people,” Raja said.
He added that he contacted a nearby hospital, which sent ambulances and doctors to assist in rescue efforts. According to him, the quick medical response may have helped reduce casualties. “We were continuously performing CPR on unconscious victims,” he said.
Another local resident, Mohammad Shoaib, said dense smoke had filled the entire building, making rescue operations extremely difficult. “We covered our faces with T-shirts and kept bringing people out. The situation was very bad. I think only five to ten of those who had fainted inside survived,” he said.
Mohammad Afzal, another volunteer involved in the rescue operation, said the rescuers entered the building without thinking about their own safety. “If we had first taken time to protect ourselves, we might not have been able to save those people,” he said.
Among the first to reach the spot was electrician Mohammad Anees, who helped create escape routes for trapped guests. “We broke the windows with stones. After that, eight or nine people, mostly women, jumped from the upper floors to save themselves,” he said.
Anees repeatedly entered the smoke-filled building alongside firefighters and police personnel to evacuate victims. Several people, however, were found dead inside due to suffocation and rapidly worsening conditions.