West Bengal hotel fires kill 18, including journalist Debashish Dutta
In just one week, two separate hotel fires in West Bengal killed 18 people, including journalist Debashish Dutta and his family, highlighting some serious problems with hotel safety.
The first fire hit Tarapith's Bideshini Hotel on August 17, followed by another at Kolkata's Florence Mansion two days later.
Kolkata police arrest operators, close hotels
Shikha Inn had locked exits and no working fire alarms, leaving guests trapped with no way out.
Investigations found neither place had proper safety certificates or equipment, one owner even admitted to paying local touts and syndicates to secure license to run hotel.
After these tragedies, police arrested several operators and shut down more than 50 unsafe hotels in Kolkata.
These incidents also spotlighted a bigger issue: West Bengal has a 68% shortfall in fire stations, 74% vacant fire operator posts, and high response times, making it tough to respond quickly when disaster strikes.