Lucknow hotel fire: There was no fire exit which led to loss of life, say reports

Lucknow: The horrific fire that engulfed Lucknow’s Levana Suites hotel early Monday morning and claimed the four lives had started on the first floor banquet and, as reports suggest, people trapped in the absence of a fire exit. While four people lost their lives despite best efforts of the fire department, 8 others got seriously injured. The hotel is situated in the tony Hazratganj area of Uttar Pradesh’s capital. As per reports, there were around 35-40 people staying in the 18 of the total 30 rooms at the hotel at the time of the fire broke out. Two were pronounced brought dead at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Civil Hospital, while 8 others were admitted for treatment, said Abhay Pratap Singh, fire safety officer, Hazratganj. [caption id=“attachment_11185921” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Fire fighters using ladders to reach up to hotel room windows. Firstpost[/caption] Firefighters had a tough time dousing the fire tenders owing to the missing fire exit and extreme smoke in the hotel lobby. Consequently, firefighters used external ladders to access the windows of rooms on 2nd and 3rd floors where people were trapped, as per reports. Two dead bodies were found reportedly when the fire safety team searched the premise after completing rescue. The fire was so intense that firefighters had to drill holes and openings into the walls using JCBs to throw in water inside the first floor. [caption id=“attachment_11185861” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Fire firghter dousing fire from drilled holes. Firstpost[/caption] One of the guests staying in the hotel’s room number 210 reportedly said he rushed to the corridor as soon as he heard people screaming. “The lobby was full of smoke so we were asked to go back to our rooms from where firefighters rescued me after breaking a window in the room,” he was quoted as saying. Another guest who was present on the second floor reportedly said that he was asked by the hotel staff to move to higher floors as there was heavy smoke on lower floors. He added that most of those who collapsed, including the two dead persons, stayed on the second floor. The evacuation was completed around 10 am, while it took another hour to fully douse the fire. “The actual reason of fire is not known however we suspect a short circuit might have caused the fire,” said Lucknow district magistrate (DM) Suryapal Gangwar. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, deputy CM Brajesh Pathak are closely watching the situation. They visited survivors in the hospital, following which a detailed investigation has been ordered. [caption id=“attachment_11185961” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited the hospital. Image courtesy/twitter: @ShalabhGarg19[/caption] Prima facie it appears that the fire department had served a notice to the hotel management a few months ago over inadequate fire safety measures, including the missing fire exit. “Lucknow development authorities have also been asked to submit the floor maps and building design of the hotel,” a police source told. Meanwhile, Lucknow police commissioner SB Shiradkar said, “A forensic audit of the building will be conducted after the smoke gets cleared, only after then the actual reason of fire will be ascertained, a detailed investigation is underway, any foul play on the management’s part will lead to criminal action against the suspect”. (With input from agencies) Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.