View of the building where the fire erupted in Kolkata, on August 19, 2026
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Nine people died in a fire inside a hotel in Kolkata in the early hours of Wednesday (August 19, 2026), while six others were injured, a top Kolkata Police official said.
The fire started around 2 a.m. on Wednesday (August 19, 2026). The nine casualties were due to suffocation from the smoke. At least 15 others were rescued from the hotel by firefighters.
The fire broke out at a multi-hotel building in the Mirza Ghalib Street area in central Kolkata area.
Police initially identified all the deceased as Bangladeshi nationals. They had reportedly come to Kolkata for medical treatment. “We can say for sure that all the victims are Bangladeshi nationals. We have found some Bangladeshi passports at the site of fire. We are verifying whether the passports are of the victims,” said Kunal Agarwal, Additional Commissioner of Kolkata Police (Crime).
The injured have been taken to the Calcutta Medical College for treatment. The fire is now under control. The officials are yet to understand the cause of the fire and investigation is underway.
The hotel has been identified as Hotel Shikhali, and a case has been registered at the New Market Police Station against the owner.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was extremely pained to learn about the loss of lives. “My condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in this tragedy. May the injured recover at the earliest. The local administration is assisting those who are affected,” he said in a post on X.
Fire Minister Kaushik Chowdhury visited the spot to assess the situation and inspected the relief work.
“The dense smoke made it difficult for firefighters to climb the staircase and reach the upper floors. While nine people have died, more deaths are feared,” a police officer told PTI.
This incident comes just two days after another deadly fire in Tarapith killed at least nine people, raising questions about safety protocols in smaller hotel establishments. After the Tarapith hotel fire, at least 15 hotels in the area were sealed and asked to stop operations after several protocol violations were reported.
(With inputs from PTI)
Published – August 19, 2026 08:35 am IST
