KOLKATA: What began as a faint smell of something burning turned into a night of horror for dozens of guests at a hotel in central Kolkata's Mechhuapatti area as a devastating fire broke out there, killing 15 people, including a woman and two children.
The fire was spotted around 7:30- 8 PM on Tuesday in the crowded Burrabazar neighbourhood, quickly engulfing the six-storey budget hotel with 88 occupants in 42 rooms.
Within minutes, thick smoke spread through the corridors, blinding and choking guests who scrambled to escape.
"I was on the second floor when the power went out. I opened the door and noticed smoke coming in. People were shouting and running. I tried to knock on other doors," said Abdul Karim, a trader from Murshidabad.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic and despair.
Some guests were seen leaning out of windows and screaming for help.
A boy reportedly cried out for his mother before vanishing in the blaze, and one man jumped from the fourth floor to escape, fracturing his leg, the locals said.
Ten fire tenders battled the blaze for nearly ten hours, and the fire was finally brought under control on Wednesday morning.
Firefighters rescued several people from the upper floors, but many could not be saved, an official said.
A senior police officer confirmed that 15 people, including 11 men, a woman, a boy, and a girl, died in the incident.
Thirteen others were injured, and some of them are critical, he said.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to ascertain the cause of the fire.
"The building has been sealed. Our forensic team will examine it thoroughly," the officer said.
The lanes around Mechuapatti, a commercial zone with shops and warehouses, remained cordoned off on Wednesday morning, as charred belongings and burnt window frames bore silent witness to the tragedy.