Hauz Khas village fire: The house occupant was friendly, stayed here only for a few days every month, say neighbours

According to them, the occupant of the house, 37-year-old Gaurav Dhamija, barely spent any time there.

“He rented the house a year ago, but would only stay here for a few days every month. We didn’t think he was here,” says Fariyad Ali, his neighbour.

A fire broke out at about 5.35 am, and the fire tenders reached the spot by 6.10 am. Apart from Dhamija, his friend, 23-year-old French national Anna Lloria, and a dog, were in the house. While Lloria and the dog were rescued, Dhamija – managing director of Aegis Homes, a real estate development company with projects in Karnal – was declared dead by officials at the Safdarjung Trauma Centre.

Dhamija and Lloria didn’t sustain any burn injuries, and asphyxia is being cited as the reason, although police are investigating the incident.

A red staircase that leads to the spacious barsaati was cordoned off by police officials. The burnt bamboo scaffolding and the charred potted plants bore witness to the extent of the fire, which was doused by neighbours and later, firefighters.

Ali says Dhamija was always friendly. “He would party once in a while, when his friends visited, but he gave us no chance to complain about loud music or bad behaviour. It’s very sad,” he says.

Another neighbour adds, “He was very well-behaved, and I think he studied abroad”. Dhamija’s Facebook profile mentions that he studied at Johns Hopkins University in the US.

As Lloria recuperates in the emergency ward of Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, two officials from the O P Jindal University sit outside, handling calls, paperwork and constant updates on her condition. The French national, who was rescued by firefighters, is a student of the university in Panipat.

She is pursuing her Masters degree from Jindal School of International Affairs in Diplomacy, Law and Business. According to sources, Lloria will be under observation for the next 24 hours.

“We found out about the incident at 10.30 am, and immediately a team of four members from the faculty and the administration unit rushed to the hospital,” says a university official.

Lloria had been taken to the Safdarjung Trauma Centre in the morning, but was moved to Apollo Hospital in the afternoon after her condition deteriorated.

Lloria earlier lived in India for a year, when she studied at Anand Vidya Vihar, a school in Vadodara. In 2015, she returned to the country to pursue her Masters, and according to a college senior, she had campus accommodation in the first year.