Nine killed as massive fire breaks out at hotel in Kolkata

Kolkata: At least nine persons, including a child and a woman, were killed as a major fire broke out at a hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street in central Kolkata early Wednesday morning.

After the fire broke out, the fire tenders from the fire services department station, which is located near the hotel on the same street, rushed to the spot and brought out the nine bodies from the hotel. A major part of the hotel building was largely affected by the fire by then.

The deceased include a woman and a child, confirmed a fire services department official present at the spot. Six other persons have been shifted to a nearby hospital. Their condition is reported to be serious.

Besides the personnel from the state fire services department, the cops from the local New Market Police Station and the personnel from the state disaster management team reached the spot after receiving the information.

The hotels are in a narrow alley, as a result of which, the fire engine did not have much space to enter.

“First, our firefighters tried to put out the fire from outside. Later, they entered the hotel and started the rescue work. We feel that a short circuit was the reason behind the fire. However, the matter will be investigated in detail, and forensic experts will go to the spot for that purpose,” said a fire services department official present at the spot.

The hotel guests were asleep when the fire broke out. Local eyewitnesses claimed that flames were not visible from outside initially and only black smoke was emitted.

Allegedly, the hotel entrance and exit routes were very narrow. There was considerable panic among the people, and it is reported that 60 residents have been evacuated so far. However, many of them became unconscious and were sent to the hospital.

According to hospital sources, there are no signs of burns or scratch marks on the bodies of the deceased. The initial assumption of the doctors is that they died of suffocation. However, the real cause of death will be clear only after the autopsy.

Questions are now surfacing about the lack of a fire safety system in the hotel. The police have doubts about whether the hotel or those near it have adequate firefighting systems. The police have already cordoned off the hotel and its surrounding areas and started an investigation into the matter.

As soon as the fire broke out, the hotel’s elevator was stopped. The residents tried to go down the stairs, but some could not find a way out. The smoke increased, causing suffocation, and they fell unconscious, as per initial reports.

Incidentally, on Monday morning, seven people were killed in a similar devastating fire at a hotel at Tarapith in Birbhum district. The hotel owner, Prabir Pal, and his son, Kalyan Pal, were arrested by the Tarapith Police Station following the incident.

IANS