17 people were killed after a fire broke out in a congested are of Delhi. Most of the people who got killed in the incident were sleeping guests in the hotel, they got suffocated with the poisonous fumes that were released by the fire. A mother and her child jumped out of the 5th floor to save their lives but were also killed.
A charge sheet has been filed against the owner of the hotel, the cases include culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The manager of the hotel and one other employee were arrested by the Delhi Police, the police have given the case to the crime branch of Delhi.
In the videos that were recorded by some witnesses, the hotel showed thick smoke and flames coming out from the terrace of the Arpit Palace, the fire broke out at 4 am. A person was also seen jumping off the 6-storey hotel but the police say he died.
In an initial report, it said that the fire may have broken out because of a short-circuit. The Arpit Palace is a popular hotel as it is not expensive, most of its guests were unable to use the corridors because of the wooden paneling, a fire officer also said that the Arpit Palace did not have any proper emergency exits that should have been used in case of an fire emergency.
The staff of the hotel said that there were around 150 people inside the hotel when the fire broke out, the hotel was built 25-years-ago. There were 8 people from Myanmar who stayed in the hotel when the fire broke out, 3 of them died and one got injured.
The fire broke out by 4am and it was under control by 7am, there were more than 2 dozen of fire trucks in the area. 35 people were rescued from the hotel and all the injured people were taken to the nearest hospitals for immediate treatment.
Arvind Kejriwal the Delhi Chief Minister also visited the hotel, he says a magisterial inquiry has been ordered to see what were the violations of the hotel and all the hotels that are in the area.
Satyendar Jain Delhi minister said: “There is a clear case of negligence here, Even though the law limits construction only to four floors, the hotel had a fifth and sixth floor with a canopy that housed a kitchen and dining area.”
The Arpit Palace is near a commercial center that has narrow alleys that has electric wires dangled up, the area of Karol Bagh is home to more than 100 hotels, offices, and shops. An area is a famous place for shoppers and tourists.
Prime Minister Modi and The President of India tweeted about the incident
Back in December 31, 2018, the hotel was up for an auction by a government-run bank at the price of Rs. 27 crores.
Officials in Delhi have done a couple of raids to see if the buildings are enforcing the mandatory building codes, evacuation procedures, and fire safety measures. But the officials have failed to check some as the city is expanding very fast with having more than 18 million people.