GORAKHPUR, Nov. 17 -- A massive fire broke out early Sunday in a four-storey hotel building near the Lord Buddha Museum in the Taramandal area under Ramgarh Lake police station, destroying property worth an estimated Rs.12 crore and claiming the life of a hotel employee. Officials said the blaze started in the first-floor restaurant and, fuelled by strong winds, spread rapidly through the building. Within minutes, flames and thick smoke engulfed the structure, turning it into a towering inferno visible from afar. During the search-and-rescue operation, firefighters recovered the body of 33-year-old Purushottam, a resident of Gonda district, from the restaurant bathroom. He is believed to have taken shelter there while trying to escape the smoke and flames. Chief fire officer Santosh Kumar Rai said the fire had become "extremely intense" by the time teams arrived. "Despite a swift response, one fatality has been confirmed. A detailed investigation is underway to determine the exact cause, and the building has suffered complete devastation," he said. The building housed shops on the ground floor, a restaurant on the first, hotel rooms on the second and a banquet hall on the third. Four fire tenders reached the spot after the incident was reported at 5:16 am. Firefighters battled the blaze for nearly 90 minutes before bringing it under control. Preliminary investigation suggests a short circuit may have triggered the fire, SP City Abhinav Tyagi said, adding that police and the fire department have initiated a detailed probe. htc...