Inside the Delhi hotel fire, a cop's race against time saved five lives

Amid scenes of chaos and desperation as a massive blaze engulfed a hotel in South Delhi's Malviya Nagar and killed 21 people, a Delhi Police head constable risked his life to rescue five trapped occupants, emerging as one of the heroes of the tragedy.

Head Constable Dinesh Yadav, posted at the Malviya Nagar police station, recounted how he rushed to the spot after receiving information about the blaze and entered the smoke-filled Flourish Stays B&B despite the rapidly spreading fire.

"I was at the police station when I received a call about the fire around 8.50 am," Yadav told Aaj Tak, India Today's sister channel.

"I was in plain clothes and slippers. I immediately took my motorcycle and left. On the way, I met constable Rampal and told him there was a serious fire. We both rushed to the spot."

According to Yadav, traffic congestion near the Malviya Nagar Metro station forced the police officers to abandon the motorcycle and run nearly 300 metres to reach the building.

"When we arrived, the entire front portion of the building was engulfed in flames. People were hanging from windows, stretching out their hands and screaming, 'please save me'," he recalled.

Yadav said he first searched the lower floors before noticing two women trapped inside a bathroom on the second floor. Their hands were visible through a small opening as they desperately cried for help.

"There was so much fire that nobody from the crowd was willing to climb up," he said.

Using a wooden ladder provided by a local resident, Yadav climbed to the second floor and attempted to break open a section near the bathroom.

"I kept hitting it with my hands. My hands got injured while breaking it," he said.

After creating an opening, Yadav entered the building through a ventilation space and found two women trapped inside the bathroom while the adjoining room was already on fire.

"The bathroom was filled with smoke and gas. The room attached to it was completely burning," he said.

One of the women, whom Yadav identified as a Nigerian national, was elderly and weighed around 90 to 100 kg.

"She kept saying in Hindi, 'I can't escape. You get out and save yourself'," he recalled.

Instead, Yadav and others improvised a rescue. Using a bucket as support, he lifted the woman onto his shoulders and helped push her through the opening, where people outside pulled her to safety.

"I picked her up, put her on my shoulder, and we pushed her out," he said.

The second woman was then rescued in a similar manner.

For several minutes, Yadav remained inside the burning structure amid thick smoke.

"I wasn't thinking about fear at that time. The smoke was too much. The entire room was covered in fire," he said.

What happened next underscored just how narrow the escape had been.

"As soon as I came out, within 10 to 12 seconds, the electrical wires burst into flames. Poles started sparking and everyone had to move back," he said.

According to Yadav, screams could be heard from every direction.

"The two women in that room were safe, but there were people shouting from everywhere."

Even after rescuing the women, Yadav and his colleagues continued efforts to save others trapped on upper floors.

Two Nigerian nationals were seen hanging from the fourth floor, while three more people were stranded on another side of the building.

Police personnel and locals repositioned mattresses and guided victims on how to escape. Several eventually jumped to safety.

"In total, five people were rescued," Yadav said.

The rescue came at a personal cost. His clothes were left stained black and red from smoke, soot and blood. His hands suffered cuts and burns while breaking through structures to reach those trapped.

"This injury is from that rescue. My hands were badly hurt," he said.

Yadav noted that several members of the police team also sustained injuries while helping victims escape the inferno and later required medical treatment.

Visuals of the clothes worn by Yadav during the operation show the extent of the ordeal — garments blackened by smoke and marked with blood after he entered a building that others were desperately trying to flee.

While many were running out of the burning structure, Yadav ran in.

His actions helped save five lives and earned him widespread praise as one of the first responders who risked everything to bring trapped occupants to safety.