‘It was like a horror movie scene’, recounts guest of Kolkata hotel devastated by fire

Horrified guests of a Kolkata hotel, who were rescued from a devastating blaze that claimed nine lives in the early hours of Wednesday, recounted a night of terror, as dark smoke engulfed the second and third floors of the dilapidated building with no hope of escape in sight.

Many claimed that there were no fire alarm or safety equipment in place at the establishment.

Nine people, including a four-year-old child and two women, were killed in the fire at the cramped central Kolkata building housing several hotels. Prompt action by fire brigade personnel saved around 80 lives, asserted West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services Department Minister Kaushik Chowdhury.

A resident from Bangladesh, who was staying at the hotel, claimed that he had approached the staff who were fast asleep when the blaze broke out in the dead of night around 2 am.

"Dark smoke engulfed the second and third floors of the building, and it was hard to escape, as the fire was raging near the staircase," said the man, clad in a vest and lungi that he wore when he retired for the night.

The Bangladeshi national said he could not salvage any of his belongings as he had to scramble to safety.

Ejaz Ahmed, a Birbhum resident, who checked into the hotel on Tuesday evening, thanked the fire brigade personnel for saving his life.

"I was helped by two fire brigade officials in coming down from the upper floors and out of the building to safety, as I was trying to find my way out in the darkness," Ahmed said.

A local resident said the situation was horrific as people stuck inside the building kept crying for help amid the blaze.

"It was like a scene from a horror movie," he said.

He claimed there was only one entrance to the hotel that led to the staircase, which made matters worse.

Meena Devi, a resident of a flat on an upper floor of the affected building, alleged that there was no fire safety arrangement on the premises.

"We were brought out by the fire brigade personnel and the staff of one of the several hotels operating from the building, amid dense smoke," she said.

The hotel blaze on Wednesday came days after another fire in a hotel at Tarapith in Birbhum district claimed nine lives.