Delhi Malviya Nagar hotel fire: First responders were head constables

Police and firefighters at the scene in Malviya Nagar after a fire broke out at a five-story hotel in New Delhi on June 3, 2026. Photo credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

When a massive fire engulfed a bed and breakfast establishment in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar on Wednesday morning, police officers along with local residents risked their lives to save guests trapped inside the building.

Officers arrived at the scene as soon as they received the information, wearing casuals, slippers and no protective gear.

Senior Constable Dinesh Yadav of Malviya Nagar police station reached the spot around 9 am and saw people trapped inside, their hands visible through the windows. He rescued two Nigerian women trapped on the second floor.

“I climbed a ladder and broke the bathroom window with my bare hands. An elderly woman who was probably being treated was trapped inside, along with her attendant. As soon as I broke the glass, a huge cloud of smoke billowed out. I went in and asked the attendant to hold her legs while I held her hands. The fumes were extremely toxic and the smoke was so thick that nothing could be seen.” Mr. Yadav said.

On the first floor, he saw a couple trapped inside, but there was no opening to enter.

On the third floor, another Nigerian couple was desperately looking for a way out. The guards directed them to climb down the rainwater pipe and jump onto the mattresses that were spread out below. The woman’s husband was also rescued.

“The sad part was that I was not able to save those who were on the first floor,” Mr Yadav said.

Within seconds, electrical wires began to spark and explode, causing some guests to back away rather than jump from the burning building.

“There were three people on the opposite side of the building. Only one was saved. The other two died. It was a couple from Kazakhstan who didn’t find the courage to jump,” he said.

On the fourth floor, Mr. Yadav found two persons trapped in the washroom. They lay on the floor with wet rags over their noses trying to protect themselves from the smoke.

The constable suffered bruises and injuries to his arms and both legs. His skin developed burns and blisters after contact with the hot plastic cables.

“Civilians often take longer to make decisions in such situations and cannot always judge the exact moment when they need to jump. If the power pole had not caught fire, people would have jumped immediately,” he said.

After reaching five people, he passed out himself and others came to help.

Senior Constable Kartar Yadav carried the man out of the cellar on his shoulder. He then climbed a neighboring building to find a way to reach the burning building. “I broke the water tanks on the terrace so the water seeped into the floors below,” he said.

Officers climbed to the upper floors of the building as firefighters put out the fire, wearing only a handkerchief to protect against the poisonous fumes, no goggles and no gloves.

Senior Constable Deshraj said they had to approach the broken windows several times to catch their breath.

The rescue was carried out in batches, with teams of at least four to five officers taking turns to enter the building and extract persons. “We went in at least five to six times, checked rooms and bathrooms, under beds, behind doors. Most of the people were unconscious. We couldn’t even check how many of those we pulled out could actually be saved,” said Senior Constable Rajveer Singh.

Published – 05 Jun 2026 01:12 IST