NEW DELHI: After arresting two executives following the devastating fire at Hotel Arpit Palace in Karol Bagh that claimed the lives of 17 people, police will question them about the violations detected on the premises. In a related move, the fire department has formed six teams to inspect 380 other hotels in Karol Bagh to determine whether these too are violating fire safety norms.The two managers, Rajender Kumar and Vikas Takkal, were taken into a two-day police custody and would be questioned by Delhi Police’s Crime Branch regarding violations noticed in the hotel. Police said that the hotel owners were absconding, and a notice had been issued to them to join the investigations.On Wednesday, Arpit Palace was sealed after forensic clearance. Only some of the guests were allowed inside to collect their belongings.Police sources said that the hotel authorities had learnt about the fire at least an hour before it spread after some hotel employees noticed smoke emanating from the air duct on the rooftop. However, they callously left the guests to fend for themselves till the fire tenders arrived, the cops alleged.Despite being aware of the threat of an inferno, the hotel made no effort to sound the alarm or inform the emergency services. The air duct, which was earlier an air-conditioning vent, had been repurposed to hold the electricity wires. These had caught fire at a lower level but the flames had pushed upwards and spread to the upper floors.The cops said that preliminary scrutiny showed the hotel had no signage to show its guests the way to the fire exit. This had led the victims to panic and run in the smoke-filled corridors and resulted in the death of at least five people due to burn injuries.Meanwhile, the fire teams formed to inspect the other hotels near the gutted establishment have been directed to scan every floor for modified walls or false ceilings that can help fire to spread. In most of the hotels, the teams recorded the absence of fire exits and hydrants.The staffers of these hotels also did not have adequate training to deal with a blaze. The fire department now plans to hold workshops to educate hotel owners about fire hazards and safety measures.

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