India, June 4 -- As smoke billowed out of Flourish Stay on Wednesday morning and cries for help from upper-floor windows filled the narrow lane in Hauz Rani, the first people to respond were not firefighters or disaster personnel.

They were neighbours, shopkeepers, locals and guests from nearby lodges who rushed fearlessly towards the burning building and improvised a rescue operation that saved dozens of lives.

Among them was 61-year-old Riyazuddin, who runs a mattress shop opposite the B&B. As flames spread through the building, he hurriedly began dragging mattresses under the windows on the lane beside it.

"We quickly understood that the fire had started on the ground floor and people on the upper floors were trapped because the sta...