Day after Kolkata hotel fire, safety lapses flagged at 13 guesthouses, bars

Just one day after a hotel fire in Kolkata claimed nine lives, the city's fire and emergency services have criticized nine guest houses and four restaurants on Mirza Ghalib Street for allegedly disregarding fire safety regulations. The buildings have been given 24 hours to provide an explanation as to why they should not be ordered closed under Section 37A of the Fire Act for failing to meet fire safety standards.

Anuj Sharma, the Director General of Fire and Emergency Services, emphasized the danger posed by these establishments, noting that they lack adequate fire safety measures despite multiple notices from the fire department. This poses an immediate threat to life and property.

The fire broke out on the third floor of one of the hotels on Wednesday morning, filling the space with thick smoke and quickly disorienting residents, making it impossible for them to find an exit route. Most victims, including two women and a four-year-old child, died from suffocation and asphyxia, according to preliminary findings by the police and fire services department. The blaze is believed to have started in one of the hotels and rapidly spread due to the thick smoke, turning the building into a virtual tinderbox.

Mirza Ghalib Street is known for housing numerous hotels and guesthouses operating in rented spaces with extremely narrow passageways. Preliminary assessments indicate widespread violations of safety regulations. To obtain a hotel license, operators must obtain clearances from both the fire department and the police, neither of which the building that caught fire possessed on Wednesday.

Forensic experts have collected evidence from the site, focusing on the building's electrical connections, while investigators are examining the safety implications of an internal iron staircase.