New Delhi: Seven people were killed and four injured after a fire broke out at a hotel in West Bengal’s Birbhum district before dawn on Monday, filling the building with thick smoke while many guests were asleep. Police said 11 people were rescued and taken to hospital, where seven died and four were being treated.
The fire broke out on the ground floor of Hotel Bideshini near the Tarapith temple. Police put the time at about 5am, while local residents and the Times of India reported that the blaze began at about 4.30am. Firefighters and police reached the hotel, brought the fire under control and moved the injured to Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital.
Smoke spreads through hotel
The exact cause of the fire has not yet been established. Reports said the fire began around the reception area and that smoke from burning false ceilings, fibreglass and other materials spread rapidly to the upper floors. Most guests were asleep at the time. A short circuit is preliminarily suspected, but investigators have not determined the final cause and a forensic team is expected to inspect the site.
The newspaper reported that guests rushed to balconies and other openings as smoke made it difficult to move through the hotel.
One guest, Samarjit Paul, told the Indian Express that he and others on the ground floor shut their room after feeling the heat from the flames and eventually moved to the balcony to escape. Another guest described waking to shouting and heavy smoke before helping her children climb down from a balcony.
Seven dead, four injured
The casualty figure was revised during the morning. Initial hospital reports put the death toll at five, before police confirmed that seven of the 11 people rescued and taken to hospital had died. The Birbhum superintendent of police, Vidit Raj Bhundesh, said four others were injured and police were working to establish the identities of the victims.
The victims were believed to have died from asphyxiation after toxic smoke reached the upper floors. Fire officials, however, told reporters that detailed postmortem examinations would determine the exact cause of death.
The injured were taken to Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital for treatment.
Emergency exit under lens
The rescue has brought the hotel’s fire-safety arrangements into focus.
Fire officials said although the hotel had a rear exit and an emergency staircase, the grills at the emergency exit were locked. Rescuers had to break open the locks to reach people trapped inside. Other media outlets reported that the property had little or no fire-detection and fire-prevention equipment.
Authorities have not yet announced a finding of negligence or said whether the hotel violated statutory fire-safety requirements. Those questions remain part of the investigation.
Police and fire personnel searched every room after the blaze to ensure that nobody remained trapped. The hotel has since been sealed and a forensic inspection is due, according to The Indian Express.
Pilgrims crowd Tarapith
The fire occurred when Tarapith was particularly busy with visitors. Thousands of devotees had gathered in the temple town for the last day of the Shravan month, according to police. Tarapith, near Rampurhat in Birbhum, is one of West Bengal’s major pilgrimage destinations and is centred on the temple dedicated to Goddess Tara.
guests at the hotel were pilgrims visiting the town during the final Monday of Shravan.
The investigation is now focused on establishing how the fire started, how smoke spread through the building and whether the hotel’s fire-safety arrangements met prescribed requirements. The premises remain sealed while police and fire officials continue their inquiry and the forensic team examines the site.