At least 15 people,mostly students,died in a horrific fire that tore through three-storey commercial building in Lucknow's Aliganj area Monday. Blaze erupted around 2:30 p.m. at graphics animation center,trapping victims on the second floor where classes were happening.
Eyewitnesses say eight students leaped from building in desperate bid to escape flames. Videos show the terrifying moments as youths fell from first floor onto roadside railing,locals rushing to help. Tragically,over four animals died in pet shop on ground floor.
Emergency teams sent 12 fire tenders to scene,but battled flames for three hours before gaining control. Early probes suggest fire may have started from air conditioning duct,suffocation due to poor exit routes. State’s Urban Development and Energy Minister A. K . Sharma said lapses in building safety standards would be investigated .
In aftermath,police arrested building's owners—Ram Krishna Upadhyay,Virendra Prasad Shukla,and Tushar Krishna Jaiswal. Four local government officials suspended pending probe. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath cut short Aligarh visit,rushed to site,pledging thorough investigation and accountability.
Dr. Amiya Agrawal,Medical Superintendent at Trauma Centre in Lucknow,reported 21 to 22 children brought in,five injured. Two who jumped had back injuries,underwent CT scans . Local resident Abhishek Mishra described scene,fire spread rapidly,trapping people inside . Firefighters had to break wall to rescue them .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences on social media,said “anguished by loss of lives” and announced ₹2 lakh to families of deceased,₹50,000 for injured. President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan shared sympathies,Murmu called incident “horrific.”
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak was among first officials at scene,said high-level inquiry ordered. Confirmed around dozen youths died,government would support victims' families.
Criticism of state government came fast. Ajay Rai,Uttar Pradesh Congress president,condemned incident as ruling BJP's failure,called it negligence. Demanded accountability,thorough investigation. Akhilesh Yadav,Samajwadi Party president,urged honest inquiry,emphasized need for best medical care for injured.
