One went to a temple, others left for the hospital. All escaped deadly blaze in Delhi

Speaking to The Indian Express, Bah said he was staying in Room No. 402 on the fourth floor. Every day, he would return to the hotel in the morning, take a bath, and then go back to the hospital. “This morning, I came back to take a bath and found it burnt,” Bah said.

He said many of his friends were inside at the time, including a woman and a child, and he has no idea whether they are alive. “My friend, Mansadave from Nigeria, was on the ground floor. I don’t know where he is now. Is he alive?” he asked.

At least four other guests had left the hotel shortly before the fire swept through the building around 8.40.

Michael, a US citizen of African origin, said he and his wife headed to Max Hospital for her treatment when they learned about the blaze. “Around 8.40 am, I learnt that a fire had broken out at our hotel. We rushed back and saw it engulfed in flames. Three of my friends who had come with me were inside.”

He claimed the hotel had only one entry and exit, which may have hampered rescue operations.

Brothers Miraz Hassan, 36, and Minhazul, 26, said they are lucky to be alive.

Miraz, a marine engineer from Dhaka, Bangladesh, had been in Delhi for a week now with Minhazul and their mother Salina, 63. They had checked into Flourish Stays on May 27 for their mother’s surgery.

“My mother had knee surgery before, but one more surgery was needed. It was scheduled at Max hospital. Yesterday, we admitted her to the facility,” said Miraz, who is visiting India for the first time.

On Wednesday, about 8.30 am, the brothers locked their room — 403 on the fourth floor — and went to the hospital.

Thirty five minutes later, they got a call from the international patient desk. “They were asking if we were safe. They said a fire broke out at the hotel,” recalled Miraz.

By evening, he realised that most of their luggage — including passports, clothes, and $300 — was locked in the room. He was later contacted by a police officer, who took him and his brother to Malviya Nagar police station.

Standing there with a sling bag over his checkered shirt, he said, “We escaped by minutes. We had checked several hotels and found this one to be the best.”

“We can’t take another hotel in this area; most are shut. We will find somewhere else… Someone from the Bangladesh embassy met us. We are still lucky to be alive,” said Minhazul.

Another guest, Kammy, originally from Mauritius and now based in the United Kingdom, had been in India for nearly a year for treatment related to retinal detachment.

On Wednesday, she left Micasa Inn around 7.30 am to visit a nearby temple. The day also happened to be her birthday.

When she returned, she was confronted with a devastating scene: Micasa Inn and Flourish Stays were engulfed in flames and people were searching desperately for relatives, friends, and fellow guests.

Standing outside the hotel, with just a small bag containing a prayer mala, a coconut, and a handkerchief, she said all her belongings were in the room — her money, phone, and passport. The only contact information she had was her driver’s phone number on a piece of paper. She spent hours trying to find someone who could help her get in touch with him.

“The mandir saved me,” she said.