Your point about tight quarters reminds me of incidents on commercial aircraft in which passengers were retrieving valuables from storage compartments, blocking an orderly exit during an emergency.
Very true, and no matter what the flight crew says, these people still want to get their “stuff” out of the overhead. You can always replace your “stuff,” and as for your laptop, just keep it with you - like on your lap - on the flight.
However, in this case, there were no bags and the crew seems to have been missing in action. I have no idea of the conditions, whether the fire had burst into the area suddenly or whether there was smoke. The crew, including the captain, leaped off the deck immediately and nobody seems to have tried to help these people get out.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there are criminal charges.