A visit to another property in Malviya Nagar said to be held by the owner of Flourish Stay B&B reveals a labyrinthine basement with cramped rooms, narrow corridors and extensive wooden panelling.
The set-up raises serious questions about fire safety as 21 people, including many foreign nationals, were killed and several others injured in the blaze that ripped through the Flourish Stay B&B on Wednesday morning.
The basement of this other property can be accessed through a staircase lined almost entirely with wooden-finish wall panels. It then opens into a long and narrow corridor flanked by a series of small rooms for guest accommodations.
The passage appears to be the sole access route to several of these rooms.
Inside, each room is tightly packed. Double beds occupy most of the available floor space, leaving little room for movement. Built-in wardrobes, side cabinets and appliances are squeezed into the compact layouts, making the spaces look even more confined.
A striking feature visible across the basement is the apparent absence of windows or natural ventilation in several rooms. The enclosed spaces rely on air-conditioners, ceiling fans and lighting.
Some rooms appear to have low ceilings and limited airflow, conditions that could become hazardous in the event of smoke accumulation during a fire.
One of the rooms has barely enough space to walk around as it is filled with a bed, a chair and a small refrigerator. Another room is almost entirely occupied by a bed and storage units. From the doorway, no visible external ventilation opening can be seen.
The basement also houses a common area and a kitchen. Photographs show a cooking station fitted into a recessed alcove with LPG gas connections and electrical appliances nearby. The kitchen is surrounded by laminated wooden-finish panels and cabinetry, materials that safety experts often scrutinise in fire incidents because they can contribute to the spread of flames and smoke.
The common area, too, features extensive wooden cladding on walls and ceilings. The narrow corridor connecting the rooms is similarly lined with wooden panelling from end to end.
The details assume significance as investigators continue probing the fatal fire that ripped through a hotel in Malviya Nagar on Wednesday.
Authorities are examining whether violations of fire safety norms, unauthorised construction and interior modifications contributed to the scale of the tragedy.
