NRS Medical College Hostel Fire, Kolkata: A Blaze in the Boys’ Hostel Compound on Kali Puja Night Is Put Out by Security Staff With No Injuries Reported, While Hospital Officials Blame Firecrackers, Residents Say a Short Circuit, and Reports Differ on the Time

What happened

The NRS Medical College hostel fire broke out on Kali Puja night, Sunday 8 November 2026, in the compound of the boys’ hostel of Nil Ratan Sircar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Hospital sources told The Times of India, Kolkata24x7, TheWall and Anandabazar Patrika that it came from firecrackers that medical students were setting off in the hostel compound. The security staff put it out, and the reports say that no one was hurt. It was one of 12 fires reported in Kolkata that night, according to The Times of India and Kolkata24x7.

The reports differ on the time and the cause. The Times of India and Kolkata24x7 say about 9.30 pm, while TheWall and Anandabazar Patrika say about 9 pm. The medical superintendent-cum-vice principal told The Times of India and Anandabazar Patrika that firecrackers caused it, and residents told Anandabazar Patrika the fire came from a short circuit while the hostel was being decorated with lights. Anandabazar Patrika adds that the exact cause is not yet known. We read five reports and found no update after 9 November 2026.

This page names no one. It sets out what is reported, where it differs and what a fire in a hostel on a festival night teaches.

What the reports say

• When: Kali Puja night, Sunday 8 November 2026; about 9 pm (TheWall; Anandabazar Patrika) or about 9.30 pm (The Times of India; Kolkata24x7)
• Where: The boys’ hostel compound of NRS Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata; the hostel is next to the hospital’s chest department (TheWall; Anandabazar Patrika)
• How it began: Hospital sources say students were setting off firecrackers in the hostel compound and the fire began from them (The Times of India; Kolkata24x7; TheWall; Ei Samay; Anandabazar Patrika)
• Residents’ view: Residents told Anandabazar Patrika the hostel was being decorated with lights for Diwali and the fire came from a short circuit
• Response: Security staff put the fire out, using the fire extinguishers kept in the hostel (TheWall; Anandabazar Patrika); The Times of India says the security staff contained it promptly
• Casualties: None reported; The Times of India and Kolkata24x7 say none was hurt
• Context: It was one of 12 fires reported in Kolkata that night, including an abandoned house on Beleghata Main Road near a petrol pump (The Times of India; Kolkata24x7)
• Rules: Only approved green crackers were allowed from 8 pm to 10 pm in West Bengal that night, and crackers are not allowed in silence zones such as hospital compounds (TheWall; Anandabazar Patrika)
• Cause: Hospital officials say firecrackers; residents say a short circuit; Anandabazar Patrika says the exact cause is not yet known
• Identities: The reports name a hospital official; we do not use names

Where reports differ and what we do not know

• Time: The Times of India and Kolkata24x7 say about 9.30 pm. TheWall says about 9 pm, and Anandabazar Patrika says about 9 pm. We say about 9 to 9.30 pm.
• Cause: The Times of India, Kolkata24x7, TheWall, Ei Samay and Anandabazar Patrika say hospital sources blame firecrackers. Anandabazar Patrika also reports that residents say the fire came from a short circuit during festival lighting, and that the exact cause is not yet known. The Times of India says the students were “allegedly” setting off firecrackers. We say firecrackers are the hospital’s account and a short circuit is the residents’ account.
• How the fire was put out: TheWall and Anandabazar Patrika say the security staff used the hostel’s fire extinguishers. The Times of India says the security staff contained the fire promptly. None says whether a fire engine came.
• Number of people involved: No report says how many students were in the compound, and none says anyone was hurt.
• Other fires: The Times of India and Kolkata24x7 count 12 fires in Kolkata that night. Ei Samay lists others in Titagarh, Balurghat and Kanthi. We count only the NRS hostel fire here.

What this fire teaches

This was a small fire, put out fast, and no one was hurt. It is worth a page because of where it was. A fire in a boys’ hostel compound beside a hospital’s chest department, on a night when firecrackers were being burst, can reach a hostel wall, a window grille, hanging decorations and the wiring that serves them. The reports say the security staff used the hostel’s own extinguishers, which is exactly what they are for. Our other hospital and hostel pages, the AMRI Hospital fire in Kolkata, the SVP Hospital fire in Ahmedabad and the Palanpur Mavjat Hospital kitchen fire, show how a small fire in a hospital compound can grow, and the Field Ganj firecracker store fire in Ludhiana shows what crackers do in a closed building.

TheWall and Anandabazar Patrika also raise a question that the hospital did not answer: how firecrackers came to be burst in a hospital silence zone. That is a question for the hospital and the authorities, and we do not answer it. What anyone in charge of a hostel can do is simple. Say clearly before the festival that crackers and open flames are not allowed in the compound. Keep extinguishers where students can reach them and show them how to use one. Check the festival lights and extension boards for overloads. Our guide to fire in a hotel, hostel, PG or guest house and our guides on hospital fire safety, causes of hospital fires and Diwali crackers, burns and first aid cover the same ground.

We do not know whether firecrackers or a short circuit started this fire. The hospital’s account is firecrackers, the residents’ account is a short circuit, and no inquiry result has been published. We will update this page if a cause is published. The Kolkata city safety guide is linked from the city safety pages on this site.