Dad saves son, escapes from burning building after going back to retrieve passports
Times of India | 20 August 2026
Kolkata: Kausar Hossain and his family were supposed to be on a bus to Bangladesh by 11 am on Wednesday. Instead, a few hours before that, he was carrying his eight-year-old son through a corridor filled with smoke so thick he could barely see a few feet ahead.
The businessman from Dhaka and his wife had been in Kolkata for nearly two weeks with their son Taskin Salim. The boy had come to the city for an ENT surgery. The operation had gone well and Taskin was recuperating. The family was preparing to return home on Wednesday morning.
At 2.15 am, someone began banging on the door of their room on the second floor of Hotel Taiba at 15G, Mirza Ghalib Street. When Kausar opened it, a hotel staffer told him they had to evacuate as a fire had broken out in another hotel on the same floor.
“The only thing I could think about was my son who had woken up due to the banging on the door and was crying. I lifted him up in my arms and rushed out without thinking about the fire or the smoke,” Kausar recalled.
His wife followed them out. The corridor and the staircase were filled with smoke. “My son was crying and struggling to breathe. I kept trying to calm him down as I carried him towards the iron staircase. The entire building was filled with smoke. I could not see anything,” Kausar said.
He had no time to think about their luggage, clothes, or anything else. When they finally emerged from the building, Kausar saw that his son was safe. But the relief lasted only moments.
“I remembered that our passports, medical records, other documents and money were still in the room. I thought how would we return home without passports?” Kausar said.
His wife tried to stop him from going in but Kausar went back. He covered his face with a towel and entered the building. This time, he knew what awaited him. The smoke was heavier and visibility was almost gone. And somewhere inside the building, people were still trapped.
He saw people at windows, waving their cell phone flashlights, trying to draw the attention of firemen and people outside. “I could hear people crying for help,” he said.
Kausar made his way back to the room, collected everything and went back out. “I thank Allah that my son is safe. For a moment, I felt I was going to lose him as he was struggling to breathe,” said Kausar.
The family eventually checked into a nearby hotel. They were safe, but none could sleep. Taskin remained traumatised.