Kolkata Hotel Fire: 9 Dead, Including Bangladeshi Nationals; AC Blast Suspected

Nine people, including a child, died after fire engulfed a Kolkata hotel early Wednesday morning. The blaze erupted around 2 am on Free School Street near Kolkata’s New Market area.

The fire trapped several guests inside the building and triggered a major rescue operation immediately. Firefighters received the first alert at 2:07 am and rushed toward the hotel without delay. Four fire tenders reached the scene, while disaster management teams joined the rescue operation nearby. Firefighters evacuated about sixty people as thick smoke rapidly spread throughout the upper floors inside. Authorities found nine unconscious victims and later declared them dead at a nearby hospital there.

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Kolkata Hotel Fire: Police Probe AC Blast, Safety Lapses

Police confirmed Bangladeshi nationals among the victims had travelled there for medical treatment in Kolkata. One victim reportedly came from Jharkhand, while officials continued efforts to eventually identify everyone involved. Preliminary investigations indicated that the hotel lacked several basic fire safety measures required by authorities. Police registered a case and immediately began searching for the hotel owner and staff members. Authorities said the owner and employees currently remained on the run after the deadly incident.

Initial reports suggested an air conditioner explosion may have triggered the fire on a floor. However, investigators have not confirmed the exact cause and continue examining the building carefully today. Dense smoke prevented firefighters from quickly reaching upper floors through the hotel’s narrow staircase inside. Rescue teams eventually brought the flames under control after evacuating trapped guests safely and quickly. Police officials said rescuers focused first on saving people and establishing the fire’s cause immediately. The Kolkata tragedy followed another deadly hotel fire in Birbhum district just two days earlier. The Birbhum fire began around 4:30 am while many guests slept inside the hotel quietly. Five family members from Meghalaya, including two children, died while attempting to escape together inside.

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