Tarapith hotel fire toll rises to 9, two detained
A hotel fire in West Bengal’s Tarapith killed nine people, including five members of a Meghalaya family, officials said. Two people, including the hotel owner, were detained as authorities investigated possible fire-safety lapses and ordered audits of hotels ahead of a major festival
Tarapith: The toll in the fire that broke out at a hotel in West Bengal’s Birbhum district on Monday rose to nine, with five members of a family from Meghalaya among the victims, officials said. Two people, including hotel owner Kalyan Pal, have been detained in connection with the blaze, as police probe whether there were lapses in fire-safety arrangements at the establishment.
The fire erupted around 4.30 am on the ground floor of the four-storey hotel in Tarapith, a prominent temple town, when most of the guests were asleep. The blaze spread up to the second floor, while thick smoke reached the upper floors, trapping several guests in their rooms.
Of the 43 people staying at the hotel when the fire broke out, 34 were discharged after preliminary medical examination, and one was undergoing treatment at a hospital, who later in the evening succumbed to injuries, the officials said.
Many of the hotel guests were pilgrims who had travelled to Tarapith to offer prayers on the last Monday of the holy month of ‘Shravan’. According to officials, the fire spread rapidly after apparently breaking out near the reception area. Hotel authorities had initially claimed that a short-circuit caused the blaze, but the exact cause is yet to be established.
The blaze was brought under control after fire tenders reached the spot, and launched rescue operations. Officials said the blaze itself did not spread beyond the second floor, but smoke filled the upper levels, reaching as high as the fifth floor and making it difficult for people to breathe or find their way out.
The hotel’s electricity supply was disconnected after the fire broke out, plunging the building into darkness. Several guests who woke up to smoke and screams rushed downstairs in panic. There were two exits at the hotel. Some guests alleged that the rear exit was closed, forcing people to try to escape through the front entrance near the reception, where the fire was raging.
The fire department, however, said there was no defect in the hotel’s firefighting system. Police have detained two people, including the hotel owner, and are questioning them to determine whether there were lapses in the management or maintenance of the establishment.
The Birbhum district administration has also ordered a special audit of electrical installations and fire-safety arrangements in hotels, lodges and other establishments in Tarapith, following the tragedy. The inspection assumes added significance ahead of the ‘Kaushiki Amavasya’ festival, which is expected to draw a large number of pilgrims and visitors to the temple town.
The administration said all hotels, lodges, guest houses, homestays and other establishments accommodating pilgrims and tourists must have safe electrical installations, and adequate fire-prevention and firefighting arrangements.
The injured were taken to Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital. Some suffered burn injuries, while several others fell ill due to smoke inhalation and asphyxiation, the officials said. A woman from Kolkata who escaped the fire recalled the chaos inside the hotel. “Suddenly, the entire hotel was engulfed in smoke. We could not breathe, and it was hard to find an escape route,” she said.
Another guest, Tapanjyoti Mondal, said he was trapped inside his room with his wife and two children for nearly 45 minutes. “We could not come out of the door because of the blaze. Since the room had no window, we escaped through an opening near the bathroom ceiling,” he said.
Mondal’s mother was unconscious while his sister suffered injuries in the incident. The death of five members of a family from Meghalaya has cast a pall of gloom, with authorities coordinating with the Meghalaya government and local administration to facilitate support for the victims’ families.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari expressed grief over the deaths, and said the guests had come to the temple town to offer prayers on the last Monday of ‘Shravan’. “Deeply pained by the extremely tragic incident involving the pilgrims who lost their lives in a fire at a hotel in Tarapith, Birbhum district,” Adhikari said in a post on X.
He said the police and administration acted swiftly and rescued a substantial number of people, but “despite all efforts, the tragic loss of lives could not be avoided”. Adhikari said the Superintendent of Police, District Magistrate, local MLA Dhruba Saha and Minister of State for Fire Department, Koushik Chowdhury, were at the site supervising the rescue operations.
He said the state government had taken strict measures to ascertain the root cause of the tragedy, and assured that those responsible would be punished according to the law. Appropriate compensation for the victims would also be announced, the CM said. Former chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee expressed grief over the incident, too.
“I am deeply shocked by the sudden and tragic fire at Tarapith. I pray for the souls of those who lost their lives in this terrible tragedy and for strength to those who have been left devastated by the loss of their loved ones,” she said on X.
