Lessons not learnt

Annual fire safety audit must be made mandatory

At least 17 people lost their lives to a blaze that swept through the Hotel Arpit Palace, located in one of the most densely populated areas of Delhi in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The fire reportedly started on the first floor and engulfed the floors above. The cause of death was suffocation as most of the victims could not figure out a way to exit the hotel. There appears to have been wooden panelling in the corridors, because of which occupants couldn’t use them to evacuate. Two of the victims jumped from the window of the six-storeyed building