Lucknow fire kills 15, students trapped in unsafe building

A fast-moving fire turned a three-storey building on Usha Mehta Marg in Lucknow’s Aliganj area into a trap, killing at least 15 people and forcing terrified occupants to jump from windows or climb down ropes and cables to escape. The blaze, which broke out on Monday, swept through a structure that housed a pet shop on the lower floor and a coaching and study centre and animation studio above, leaving most of the dead as students, many of them between 22 and 27 years old.

Rescue crews fought the flames with 14 fire tenders, including a hydraulic platform vehicle, and broke through a wall to reach those trapped inside. The scale of the casualties became clear at King George’s Medical University trauma centre, where 24 victims were taken in total. Hospital officials said 15 were declared dead on arrival, seven were discharged and two remained hospitalized.

The central question now is whether the fire was a preventable disaster rather than an unpredictable blaze. Authorities said the building lacked proper emergency exits, and preliminary findings pointed to a single entry-exit point and an electronic or biometric locking system that may have slowed escape. Investigators were also examining allegations of unauthorized construction, the absence of a fire no-objection certificate, and whether the premises had been approved as residential but were being used for commercial purposes.

Fresh reporting also raised concerns that the building’s power load may have exceeded its sanctioned limit, adding another layer to the safety review. The Uttar Pradesh government formed a Special Investigation Team and directed it to submit a report within seven days, signaling that officials expect the inquiry to move quickly even as questions mount over routine enforcement failures in densely occupied city buildings.

The government arrested four people, including the building owners, and suspended four Uttar Pradesh officials. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced an ex gratia payment of 5 lakh for each deceased victim’s family. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu expressed condolences as families waited for answers in a case that has again exposed how quickly occupied commercial spaces can become fatal when code enforcement, exits and occupancy rules fail at the same time.