Archive · 21 Aug 2026
Bengal Plans Strict Hotel Exit-Door Safety Rules After Fires
Two hotels in West Bengal recently caught fire.
One fire happened in Tarapith and the other happened in central Kolkata.
Nine people died in each fire, making 18 deaths in total.
Officials said people had too few ways to escape.
The Fire Services Department is preparing new safety rules for hotels, lodges and guesthouses.
Exit doors would have to stay unlocked all the time.
Hallways and staircases leading to exits and roofs would have to remain clear.
Hotels would also need metal grill gates, signs and trained workers to help guests escape.
Guests would receive fire-safety instructions when they check in.
Two hotel fires in Tarapith and central Kolkata killed 18 people, nine in each incident.
The West Bengal Fire Services Department has prepared a preliminary blueprint for stricter hotel exit-door rules.
Exit doors must remain unlocked around the clock, with unobstructed passages and nonflammable metal grill-gate structures.
Hotels, lodges and guesthouses must provide emergency signage, trained evacuation staff and fire-safety instructions at check-in.
Roof doors and access staircases must also remain unlocked and clear for emergency evacuation.
- Who
- The West Bengal Fire Services Department and hospitality entities including hotels, lodges and guesthouses.
- What
- The department is preparing mandatory standard operating procedures for maintaining hotel exit doors and emergency escape routes.
- When
- The plan was announced after two successive hotel fires; no specific dates were provided.
- Where
- West Bengal, following fires in Tarapith in Birbhum district and on Mirza Ghalib Street in central Kolkata.
- Why
- Officials said inadequate exit options contributed to the high death toll in both fires.
- Reported deaths
- 18 people, with nine deaths in each hotel fire
- Affected locations
- Tarapith in Birbhum district and Mirza Ghalib Street in central Kolkata
- Covered establishments
- Hotels, lodges and guesthouses across West Bengal
- Exit-door requirement
- Doors must remain unlocked 24/7 and passages must remain unobstructed
- Door construction
- Exit doors must use metal grill-gate structures rather than wood, plywood or board
- Emergency preparation
- Hotels must provide signage, trained evacuation personnel and fire dos and don'ts at check-in
- Roof access
- Roof doors must remain unlocked, with metal grill gates and clear staircases