Overview
- A massive fire at the Flourish Stays/Flourish B&B on June 3 killed 22 people in most reports and prompted a criminal probe into how the blaze spread through the multi‑storey building.
- On Monday the Saket court granted bail to head chef Kesar Negi on a Rs 50,000 personal bond with conditions that include cooperating with the probe and not leaving the country without permission.
- Delhi Police investigators say the blaze likely began when an electric oil fryer was left switched on and the oil reached auto‑ignition, a theory the defence disputes and which has not been scientifically confirmed.
- A magisterial inquiry submitted in early July found multiple regulatory and safety failures by the B&B and several agencies, including unauthorised expansion from six to 26 rooms, a single main staircase, a shuttered basement exit and stored combustible materials.
- The Forensic Science Laboratory report remains pending and will be the key piece of evidence to fix cause and culpability while the B&B owner and manager remain under investigation and in custody.