ONE PERSON was killed and several were injured after a major fire broke out at a six-storied hotel building in the densely populated Burrabazar area in Kolkata, police said on Tuesday. The cause of the blaze is yet to be ascertained, fire brigade officials said.

Ten fire engines were pressed into service to douse the fire and operations were underway on the premises of Rituraj Hotel till late evening on Tuesday.

Sources at the Kolkata Medical College identified the deceased as Sanjoy Paswan, who was among those staying at the hotel and was brought dead to the hospital. Police are looking into the possibility that he may have jumped from the building as the fire broke out and fell to his death, sources said.

As the fire was detected, some people staying at the hotel rushed to the terrace for safety while some others were seen standing on the parapets of some windows in the building. A  team of the fire brigade soon reached the spot and used ladders to rescue those who were stuck on the parapets. Meanwhile, those on the terrace used their phone flashlights to signal to the fire brigade. The fire brigade team used loudspeakers to pacify those affected.

Those injured were taken to the medical college and are under treatment. Several trauma care ambulances are on standby at the spot, officials said.

Some local residents claimed that the ground floor of the building is used as a godown for some shops and the top five floors are part of the hotel.