At least six people were killed and several others critically injured in a major fire that broke out at a five-storey hotel in Tarapith, Birbhum district, West Bengal, on Monday.
Preliminary inquiries point to a short circuit as the likely cause; the flames then spread rapidly through several rooms. Most of the hotel’s occupants were asleep at the time, and a number of children were also present. Multiple fire tenders arrived soon afterwards and brought the blaze under control, though a large portion of the ground floor had already been destroyed. Some residents suffered severe burns, while others were overcome by smoke inhalation. The injured were rescued and taken to hospital. “They even disconnected the power supply cable. But by that time, even the fibre-optic items in the hotel’s furnishings had caught fire. The firefighters came and extinguished the fire. the smoke rose to the fifth floor Although the fire was mainly restricted to the ground floor. The residents started coming out of their rooms in panic. There was an exit door at the backside of the hotel. But many could not trace it in panic.
Because of the hotel’s proximity to the police station, officers reached the scene quickly. The fire started at around 5 am at Hotel Bideshini, which stands beside a pond and very close to the Tarapith Police Station.
Hotel owner Kalyan Paul told reporters that the night watchman had noticed the fire almost immediately and promptly activated the fire extinguishers. They started leaving through the reception, and that is when many got burnt,” Paul said.
The injured are receiving treatment at the nearby Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital. Attending doctors have indicated that the death toll could rise further, as the condition of some patients remains extremely critical.
