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Nine dead in early-morning Kolkata hotel fire
NDTV··19 Aug
At least nine people, including a child, died after a fire at a hotel on Free School Street near Kolkata's New Market about 2 am on 19 August 2026. Six others were injured. Fire officials said Bangladeshi nationals who had come for medical treatment were among the dead. Dense smoke slowed crews on the stairs. Four tenders joined the rescue.
Prism
What It Means For You
- If you stay in budget hotels around New Market or Free School Street, police and fire officials are checking whether this building had basic fire equipment and a valid clearance.
- Anyone who had relatives visiting Kolkata for treatment can note officials said Bangladeshi guests were among the nine dead, and one victim has also been identified as a Jharkhand resident.
- If you work night shifts in central Kolkata hotels, smoke on staircases was cited as the reason crews could not quickly reach upper floors.
What's Happening
- The fire was reported around 2 am on 19 August on Free School Street.
- Nine people were declared dead at hospital; six were reported injured.
- Kolkata Police have registered a case and are looking for the owner and staff.
What Early Officials Said About Cause And Safety
- An air-conditioner blast on the third floor was offered as a possible trigger; ABP also reported a suspected short circuit. Neither is confirmed.
- Reports said iron staircases and missing extinguishers may have slowed evacuation, which investigators will test against the fire NOC file.
- The Kolkata blaze came two days after a hotel fire in Tarapith, Birbhum, in which eight people died.
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