New Delhi [India], June 4: A fire broke out in the basement of a hotel in Humayunpur Village, near Safdarjung Enclave, on Thursday evening, according to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS).
The Fire Department received a distress call regarding the incident at 7:06 PM. Five fire tenders were immediately pressed into service to carry out the firefighting and rescue operations.
According to fire officials, the blaze, which had engulfed furniture stored in the basement, was brought under control within approximately 15 minutes.
No casualties have been reported in the incident.
Meanwhile, multiple safety lapses have come to light during the investigation into the deadly fire at a guest house in the national capital, Malviya Nagar, a day ago, in which 21 people died, while preliminary findings suggest that a majority of the victims died due to suffocation and smoke inhalation rather than burn injuries, sources said on Thursday.
According to sources, police conducted a room-by-room search of the guest house following the incident and recovered nearly 50 to 60 mobile phones from the premises. Around 30 passports were also recovered during the search.
Sources said that even after the fire was brought under control, the rooms inside the guest house remained extremely hot, indicating the intensity of the blaze and the severe impact of heat and smoke within the building.
Investigators have identified five deceased persons so far, while the identification process for the remaining victims is still underway.