A pre-dawn fire at a hotel in West Bengal’s Birbhum district turned fatal on Monday, with at least seven people losing their lives and several others sustaining injuries.
The blaze was reported at around 4:30 am from the ground floor of a four-storey hotel in Tarapith, a prominent temple town. Most of the guests were reportedly asleep when the fire broke out, leaving little time for them to respond.
Fire and emergency personnel were rushed to the location and managed to bring the flames under control. Rescue teams evacuated people trapped inside the building, while those who were injured were taken to Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital for medical treatment.
A preliminary assessment by the fire department suggests that an electrical short circuit could have triggered the fire. However, the exact cause is yet to be established.
Police also reached the hotel following the incident and have launched an investigation to determine how the fire started and whether any safety violations contributed to the tragedy.
Authorities are expected to conduct a detailed assessment of the hotel’s fire safety arrangements as part of the investigation.
