PRAYAGRAJ, June 13 -- : A fire safety audit in Prayagraj has exposed serious gaps in preparedness in case of emergemcy.

While most hotels have fire extinguishers and other safety equipment, their staff are not trained to use them. This means that in case of a fire, the ability to control it in the early stages depends largely on chance.

The Fire Department began intensive inspections of hotels and commercial establishments on June 4, following a deadly hotel fire in Delhi. In just one week, officials inspected 149 hotels. They found that although many places had installed fire extinguishers, alarms and related systems, employees were largely unaware of how to operate them. In several hotels, staff admitted they did not know how to use a...