A devastating fire that swept through a three-storey commercial building in Lucknow’s Aliganj area on Monday afternoon claimed the lives of at least 15 people, most of them young trainees and staff members associated with a gaming and animation studio operating in the building. Nine others sustained injuries, while six pets housed in a veterinary facility on the ground floor also perished in the blaze.
Authorities suspect that the fire originated from an air-conditioner short circuit inside a pet store and veterinary clinic located on the ground floor. Preliminary investigations indicate that highly combustible materials stored within the building may have accelerated the spread of the flames.
The victims, all reportedly in their twenties, were among 22 people rescued from smoke-filled rooms and washrooms where they had taken shelter after becoming trapped by the rapidly spreading fire. Rescue teams later recovered several bodies from different parts of the building.
Initially, reports suggested that a coaching centre had been affected by the blaze, and social media posts widely circulated the claim. However, officials later clarified that the worst-hit occupants were associated with a gaming and animation training facility operating from the upper floors of the building.
The fire broke out around 2:30 pm on Usha Mehta Marg in north Lucknow. Thick black smoke could be seen from nearly two kilometres away. According to eyewitnesses, a sanitation worker named Marzena was among the first to notice the fire and raise the alarm, urging people nearby to evacuate.
Witnesses described scenes of panic as the building quickly turned into an inferno, cutting off escape routes. Some occupants reportedly smashed windows to escape, while others used ropes to descend from upper floors. Several people were also said to have jumped from the first and second floors in desperate attempts to save themselves.
Emergency services responded swiftly, deploying 15 fire engines to the scene. Officials stated that the first firefighting unit arrived within eight minutes of receiving the distress call. Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) joined the rescue operation, while firefighters battled the blaze for over an hour before bringing it under control.
Medical authorities confirmed that multiple injured persons were admitted to hospitals across the city. Dr. Prem Raj Singh, Chief Medical Superintendent of King George’s Medical University (KGMU), stated that three of the injured admitted to the trauma centre were in critical condition.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath cut short his visit to Aligarh and returned to Lucknow after learning of the tragedy. He visited KGMU to meet the injured and announced financial assistance of ₹5 lakh for the families of each deceased victim and ₹50,000 for those critically injured.
“The Uttar Pradesh government stands firmly with all the affected families with full sensitivity and commitment,” the Chief Minister said, while directing a two-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to complete its inquiry into the incident within seven days.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed condolences over the loss of life and announced an ex gratia payment of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to the next of kin of each deceased victim.
Senior officials, including Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad and Director General of Fire Services Sujeet Pandey, visited the site to oversee rescue and relief operations.
The affected building housed several commercial establishments across its basement, ground floor and upper levels. Among them were the Learning Space library and Head Hopper Studio, a gaming and animation company that also operated a training centre for young professionals.
Investigators are continuing to examine the exact cause of the fire and whether safety violations or inadequate emergency measures contributed to the scale of the tragedy.
