Child among 9 dead as massive fire breaks out at Kolkata hotel

A fire broke out at a hotel at 15H Mirza Ghalib Street in central Kolkata around 2 am on Wednesday, fire brigade sources said.

At least nine people were killed, and over 60 were rescued after a fire broke out in a hotel in central Kolkata in the early hours of Wednesday, the second such incident in West Bengal this week. A fire in a hotel at Tarapith, a temple town in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, killed nine people, including two children, on Monday.

Around 60 people were rescued from the building without injuries. (ANI)

“Nine people have died [in the Kolkata fire]. The dead include six men, two women and a child. No one has been injured. We are yet to ascertain the identities,” said deputy police commissioner (Kolkata central division) Praween Prakash.

The fire broke out in the five-storey Shikha Inn Hotel on Kolkata's 15H Mirza Ghalib Street around 2am. Four fire tenders were rushed to the scene, and the blaze was doused after a few hours.

“We rescued more than 60 persons unscathed. At least nine people were found in an unconscious state. They were rushed to the hospital,” said a fire brigade officer.

Hotel had only one entry and exit

According to sources the fire broke out in the second flood of the Shikha Inn hotel. Survivors said that the hotel had only one entrance and exit. There were no emergency exits.

“I came with my friend. It was a very dangerous situation and I really don’t know how we escaped. There was no fire-alarm or fire-fighting system. Some have died,” Amirul Hossain, a guest from Tarapith in Birbhum district, told the media.

“I was alerted by a friend. I reached around 2:30 am. By then the fire brigade had started the fire fighting. People were being rescued and some were brought out in an unconscious state,” said a local resident.

‘Hotels running illegally’: BJP leader

Police said that the area is under the New Market police station and there are several hotels on Mirza Ghalib Street, Marquis Street and Free School Street among others. It is frequented by foreigners including Bangladeshis.

Kolkata's Mirza Ghalib Street and adjoining Marquis Street and Free School Street have many hotels popular with foreigners. Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party leader Santosh Pathak alleged that most of the hotels in this area are running illegally and did not have firefighting mechanisms.

"They do not follow any rules and regulations. We raised this multiple times. Some do not even have licenses. There are illegal constructions. Residential buildings are turned into commercial spaces overnight. The police station and fire brigade station are a stone’s throw away."

People aware of the matter said West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari was likely to visit the spot.

Hotel fire in Bengal's Tarapith

This comes just two days after a fire in a hotel at Tarapith, a temple town in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, killed nine persons, including two children. Among the dead five were from Meghalaya and four were from West Bengal. Two persons have been arrested.

The blaze was suspected to have been triggered by a short circuit, officials said.