19 August,2026 12:27 PM IST | Kolkata | mid-day online correspondent
West Bengal Civil Defence Quick Response Team (QRT), police personnel, firefighters, forensic and other officials gather to inspect the site after a fire broke out at a dingy five-storey building on Mirza Galib Street, leaving at least nine people, including a four-year-old child, dead and six others injured in the incident, in Kolkata, West Bengal, early Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026.(PICS/PTI)
Nine people, including two women and a child, died after a fire broke out at a hotel building on Mirza Ghalib Street in Central Kolkata early Wednesday morning. Initial findings by the police and the West Bengal Fire Services Department indicate that the victims likely died from suffocation rather than burn injuries.
Officials at the scene said the fire itself may not have been particularly intense, but thick black smoke quickly spread throughout the building, severely affecting visibility and making it difficult for people inside to breathe or find their way out.
A West Bengal Fire Services official who was present at the spot said the bodies did not show extensive burn injuries when they were recovered.
The official said other residents who were safely evacuated also indicated that the intensity of the fire inside the building was not particularly high. However, the entire complex became filled with thick black smoke, creating severe breathing difficulties.
The official said the situation raised questions about the ventilation facilities inside the building, particularly given the number of people staying there.
The building reportedly had extremely narrow entry and exit points, which further complicated the evacuation.
According to the fire services official, residents who were already struggling to breathe became confused when the building filled with smoke and found it difficult to determine which route would lead them outside.
A Kolkata Police officer said authorities initially believed that the fire had broken out in a single hotel.
It was later discovered that the same building housed multiple hotels and guest houses, with different establishments operating on individual floors.
According to police, each floor contained a hotel or guest house with small rooms and narrow passages.
The fire reportedly started at a hotel on the third floor. Although the flames were not believed to be particularly intense initially, smoke gradually spread through the entire building.
As the smoke thickened, residents struggled to identify the exits and evacuate safely.
The incident has consequently brought renewed attention to fire-safety arrangements in older buildings housing multiple commercial establishments.
Mirza Ghalib Street is known for its numerous budget hotels and guest houses, which accommodate tourists and visitors from different parts of India and abroad.
Local residents said many people visiting Kolkata for medical treatment also stay in hotels in the area.
A local medicine shop owner claimed that a significant number of visitors come from neighbouring Bangladesh for medical tourism, and suggested that some of those killed could potentially be Bangladeshi nationals. However, the identities and nationalities of all the victims were not immediately confirmed.
Local BJP leader Santosh Pathak alleged that several hotels in the area had developed illegally over the years.
Pathak claimed that such establishments had expanded during successive political administrations, including the Left Front government and the previous Trinamool Congress regime.
He alleged that, in the building where the fire occurred, structural pillars had been compromised to create additional rooms.
According to his allegation, the changes weakened the structure while making already narrow passageways even more cramped.
Pathak further claimed that the buildings were originally residential structures that were subsequently converted into commercial establishments without proper authorisation.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths have placed the building's fire safety and evacuation arrangements under scrutiny.
Officials are examining the ventilation system, exit routes and fire-safety provisions available to the hotels operating inside the building.
The fact that most of the victims reportedly suffered from suffocation rather than severe burns has particularly focused attention on the spread of smoke and the availability of safe escape routes.
The exact cause of the fire and the circumstances that led to the deaths are expected to be established as the police and fire services continue their investigation.
(With inputs from IANS)
