Police cordon hotel fire site on Mirza Ghalib Street

Police personnel stand behind barricades outside a hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street, Kolkata, after a fire broke out there on 19 August 2026. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)

Police personnel and a forensic team inspect the fire-hit hotel building on Mirza Ghalib Street, Kolkata, on 19 August 2026, as investigators begin collecting evidence from the site. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)

Forensic personnel collect evidence outside the hotel building on Mirza Ghalib Street, Kolkata, following a fire on 19 August 2026, as authorities work to determine the cause. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)

Forensic personnel are seen collecting evidence from outside the fire-affected hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street, Kolkata, on 19 August 2026, as part of the post-fire investigation. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)

Bystanders gather near the barricaded hotel building on Mirza Ghalib Street, Kolkata, after a fire broke out on 19 August 2026, as security personnel manage the crowd. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)

Police and emergency personnel are deployed outside the hotel building on Mirza Ghalib Street, Kolkata, following the fire on 19 August 2026, maintaining a security perimeter. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)

The windows of the fire-hit hotel building on Mirza Ghalib Street, Kolkata, show visible damage following the blaze on 19 August 2026. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)

Police personnel stand guard outside the hotel building on Mirza Ghalib Street, Kolkata, after the fire on 19 August 2026, ensuring the site remains secured. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)

A pedestrian walks past the barricaded hotel site on Mirza Ghalib Street, Kolkata, on 19 August 2026, as authorities keep the area cordoned off following the fire. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)

Security personnel stand outside the hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street, Kolkata, following the fire on 19 August 2026, as access to the building remains restricted. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)

The West Bengal Civil Defence Quick Response Team (QRT) is deployed outside the hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street, Kolkata, on 19 August 2026, supporting the emergency response operation. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)

A West Bengal Civil Defence Quick Response Team (QRT) officer stands outside the fire-hit hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street, Kolkata, on 19 August 2026, as multi-agency rescue efforts continue. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)

A full view of the fire-affected hotel building on Mirza Ghalib Street, Kolkata, on 19 August 2026, showing the scale of the blaze that drew a large emergency response from police, firefighters and civil defence units. (Photo: NationPress/Kuntal Chakrabarty)