Archive · 21 Aug 2026
Kolkata Hotel Fire Highlights City’s Persistent Safety Hazards
A fire started at a hotel in Kolkata during the early morning.
It happened around 1:45am on Wednesday.
Firefighters sent five fire tenders to fight the flames.
Police and disaster response workers also came to help people.
Nine people died in the fire.
Investigators are still trying to find out what caused it.
The building had several hotels and was described as cramped.
Other hotels and guest houses in the city were also found to have narrow entrances, tangled wires or blocked escape paths.
These conditions could make it harder for people to get out safely during a fire.
A fire erupted around 1:45am Wednesday at a hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street in Kolkata’s Esplanade area.
Five fire tenders, police and Disaster Management Department personnel responded to the blaze.
Nine people died, while the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
A survey found potential hazards at hotels and guest houses on Strand Road, Sudder Street, Lindsay Street and AJC Bose Road.
Reported risks included tangled wiring, congested entrances, decorative lights, nearby stalls and limited escape space.
- Who
- Nine people died; firefighters, police and Disaster Management Department personnel responded.
- What
- A hotel fire occurred, renewing concerns about fire safety in Kolkata’s crowded hotels and guest houses.
- When
- The fire erupted around 1:45am on Wednesday.
- Where
- At a hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street in the Esplanade area of Kolkata; other potential hazards were identified on Strand Road, Sudder Street, Lindsay Street and AJC Bose Road.
- Why
- The fire’s cause is under investigation, while cramped buildings, tangled wiring and narrow or congested exits raised broader safety concerns.
- Deaths
- Nine people died in the hotel fire.
- Fire time
- Around 1:45am on Wednesday.
- Fire response
- Five fire tenders were sent to extinguish the blaze.
- Primary location
- A hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street in Kolkata’s Esplanade area.
- Investigation
- The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
- Surveyed areas
- Strand Road, Sudder Street, Lindsay Street and AJC Bose Road.
- Reported hazards
- Overhanging and tangled electrical wires, decorative lights, congested entrances and limited escape space.