A 40-year-old hotel employee was charred to death and four of his colleagues sustained severe burn injuries when a fire broke out at a hotel in Malagala near Nagarabhavi late on Friday (May 8, 2026) night .

The deceased has been identified as Raj Kumar, a native of Madhya Pradesh, who had reportedly joined work at the hotel just 15 days ago.

The injured — identified as Bhima, Shivanand, Satish and another worker — are undergoing treatment at a private hospital, and their condition is said to be critical. The fire also caused property damage worth lakhs of rupees.

The blaze is suspected to have been triggered by a short circuit inside the hotel. The fire spread rapidly and soon engulfed the staff rooms located on the upper floor, worsening the situation.

At the time of the incident, five workers employed at the hotel were asleep in the upstairs staff quarters. As the fire broke out suddenly during the night, they were unable to escape and got trapped inside.

The intensity of the flames quickly spread across the upper floor, making rescue operations difficult.

On receiving information, fire and emergency service personnel rushed to the spot and carried out a strenuous rescue operation. All five workers were pulled out and shifted to hospital.

However, Raj Kumar, who had sustained severe burn injuries, succumbed during treatment. The remaining injured workers continue to undergo treatment, police said.