Riyazuddin Mansuri laid out his shop’s mattresses to help save several people during a deadly Delhi hotel fire.
A mattress shop owner in Delhi turned his stock into a rescue tool during a fatal hotel fire. Riyazuddin Mansuri, who has run a mattress and blanket shop opposite the building for decades, laid out his goods on the road so trapped people could jump to safety.
The fire broke out on the morning of June 3 at the Flourish Stay building in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar area. The multi-storey building was popular with foreign visitors. According to TRT World, it had serious safety problems, including a single entry and exit point and locked windows. At least 21 people died and more than 40 were rescued. The Washington Post reported the blaze swept through the building and injured several others.
Many of the dead were foreign nationals. Mansuri said he acted as soon as he understood what was happening.
Mansuri told reporters he laid out more than 20 mattresses on the ground below the building. He said people jumped from the upper floors onto them. “Seven or eight people jumped onto those mattresses, and every single one of them survived,” he said, adding that they sustained only minor injuries.
He estimated his losses at around Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh. He said the money was not his concern at the time. His son, Armaan, helped run the operation from the shop, which the family established in the 1990s and which sources its stock from Panipat.
Armaan said the shop was left empty by the end. “I have no material left in my shop. We used everything to save people,” he told reporters. He described tying blankets and mattresses together to bring people down from upper floors, including some who were taller and heavier than the rescuers.
Mansuri, who has run the shop for around 45 years, said he reached the scene early. By the time he arrived, he said, the basement was in flames and people on the upper floors were calling for help.
Local Residents Aid Delhi Hotel Fire Victims Before Firefighters Arrive
Mansuri was one of several local residents who stepped in before official responders reached the site. According to TRT World, residents smashed windows, laid out bedding, and performed CPR on the injured. The outlet reported that official responders faced criticism over a delayed arrival.
One man, Wasim Raja, performed CPR on several injured people. He said he works at a hospital and drew on that experience during the rescue. Mansuri described himself as civil defence-trained, which he said helped him assess the situation quickly.
Mansuri said he viewed the effort as a duty. “When we think of humanity, everyone is equal. I felt helping them is my responsibility,” he said. He and his son sustained injuries during the rescue.
The cause of the fire and the full circumstances at the building remain under examination by authorities.
