NEW DELHI: Had it not been 29-year-old Hitesh Sharma ’s effort and courage, 12 bank employees stuck in a room would have lost their lives in a fire that broke out at Connaught Place.

Sharma, who works as a delivery boy with a courier company, first rescued those stranded and then rushed to the fire department office—which could not be contacted despite sustained calls from onlookers—across the road.

“I was sitting on the terrace outside my office when I heard a loud explosion. I saw a few people rushing out of the Harsha Bhawan alerting of fire inside the building, though there was no smoke seen outside,” he said.

Sharma rushed to the spot but rescue effort was to become a challenge since the lights were switched off. “The only thing that came to my mind was that I had to save the lives until the firemen arrive,” he said.

“Someone told me that they tried to call up the fire department but it was unreachable. So I decided to first save a few people stuck on the second floor and later rush to the department office,” said Sharma who heard people screaming for help from the floor.

“I tied a handkerchief around my face and rushed upstairs. There was an explosion in an air-conditioning unit but I pushed through and reached the room. It was impossible for me to bring them down the stairs so I broke open a window,” said Sharma. He said he helped the women climb out onto the parapet first and helped them reach a terrace on the adjacent building.

After rescuing them, Sharma ran to the fire department office. “There was a fire tender moving out of the garage and I climbed into the driver’s cabin and directed the driver to the spot,” he said.