Hotel staffer dies of suffocation after fire breaks out in hotel

Bengaluru: A 45-year-old hotel employee died and four others were injured in an accidental fire that broke out at an eatery in Malagala near Nagarabavi in west Bengaluru in the early hours of Saturday.The deceased, identified as Raj Kumar, was a native of Madhya Pradesh and had been working at the hotel for nearly a year. The eatery operated from the first floor of a three-storey commercial building, police said.According to police, around 15–20 workers were asleep in different parts of the hotel when the fire broke out in the kitchen area, where Raj Kumar was sleeping."The fire was noticed by a few workers, who immediately alerted others and informed the police control room," police said.Fire and emergency services personnel rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control using a fire tender. However, thick smoke spread through the premises, causing suffocation to Raj Kumar and four other workers.All five were rushed to a hospital, where Raj Kumar was declared dead. The remaining four are undergoing treatment, and the condition of one of them is said to be critical.Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire may have been caused by an electrical short circuit, police added.