Delhi hotel fire: Locals turn saviours amid wails, screams, burning bodies

Key points

• As thick smoke engulfed a five-storey bed-and-breakfast hotel in Delhi’s Hauz Rani area on Wednesday (June 3, 2026) morning, local residents rushed to rescue trapped occupants even before the fire tenders arrived.
• The blaze, which broke out around 8.30 a.m., spread across three floors of the building, leaving several guests stranded inside amid dense smoke and panic.
• The establishment reportedly had only one common entry and exit point and no emergency staircase.
• Delhi hotel fire LIVE updates on June 3, 2026 Sixty-one-year-old Riyazuddin, who runs a roadside shop opposite the building, said he quickly pulled out mattresses from his shed and spread them below the building’s windows to help people jump to safety.
• Moments later, trapped residents began jumping through windows to escape the flames.