The fire at Flourish Stays B&B in South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar on Wednesday, that claimed 21 lives was, prima facie, caused by a short circuit, according to police.
Although LPG cylinders were found inside the building, officials said there was no indication that any of them had exploded during the fire. Police also noted that while the hotel was equipped with a few fire extinguishers, they proved ineffective during the incident.
Police arrested the property’s owner, Lavkesh Bajaj, on Wednesday night. During interrogation, Bajaj reportedly told investigators that he had purchased the Flourish Stay property around three years ago from an individual identified as Ahluwalia.
Investigators said the building is nearly 40 years old, but had undergone extensive renovations over the past two to three years, including significant changes to its façade and interior layout.
According to police sources, the property consisted of a basement containing four rooms and a kitchen, a ground floor with a reception area, restaurant and two guest rooms, and four additional floors, each housing about five rooms. A separate kitchen was also operating on the top floor.
Authorities are now investigating whether the alterations made during the renovation affected the building’s original design and resulted in violations of safety regulations.
Authorities have declared the fire-damaged building unsafe, citing structural concerns caused by the blaze. Officials said parts of the interior have become unstable, with glass panels, tiles and other fixtures reportedly at risk of falling.
Preliminary investigations by the police and fire department revealed multiple safety violations. According to officials, the property was operating 26 rooms despite having approval for only six, lacked a mandatory No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the fire department, and contained a large amount of combustible decorative material.
According to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official, Bajaj installed numerous wooden and plastic decorative structures both inside and outside the building, significantly increasing the amount of combustible material on the premises.
According to the FIR filed on the complaint of a police officer, the building owner allegedly failed to put in place the necessary fire safety measures, leading to a fire that resulted in multiple fatalities.
Delhi Police have registered an FIR under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to the charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
