Police made a fourth arrest in connection with the fire at Rituraj Hotel in central Calcutta that claimed 14 lives last week.

Mohammad Sagir Ali, who was the supervisor of the renovation job on the first floor where the fire started, was arrested in Kolaghat on Monday, the police said.

Sources in Kolkata Police said his name cropped up during the interrogation of Khurshid Alam, the contractor who had been engaged for interior work for the extension of the kitchen-cum-bar on the first floor of the hotel.

Allegations had emerged that labourers engaged by Alam cooked using fire at the work site. Alam had, however, claimed innocence. He was arrested last week.

Pursuing his statement, the police arrested the site supervisor on the same charges as Alam, that of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The fire that, according to forensic findings, started from the first floor of the five-storey building last week, led to thick black fumes inside the hotel. Inflammable items like an LPG cylinder, plywood, resin and adhesives had further fuelled the flames and helped it spread, the police said.

A staff member died after he panicked and jumped from the third-floor cornice. Two guests in the hotel died from thermal burns, and 11 died after inhaling the smoke.

Till now, the police have arrested one of the owners of the hotel, Akash Chawla; the hotel manager, Gaurav Kapoor; and the interior work contractor, Alam. Ali’s is the fourth arrest.