15 killed in Lucknow coaching-cum-gaming centre fire; four arrested over safety lapses

On June 22, a fire broke out in a building in Uttar Pradesh’s capital city, claiming 15 lives, most of them students and staff of an animation centre. According to eyewitnesses, bystanders, and survivors, the building lacked basic fire safety systems. Mayank Kumar reports on the tragedy and the regulatory gaps it exposes amid rapid urbanisation in India’s most populous State

Lucknow:  An automatic biometric gate, a single staircase and the alleged commercial use of a residential building emerged as key factors behind the devastating coaching centre fire in Lucknow that killed 15 people, most of them students enrolled in gaming and animation courses.Preliminary investigations have revealed that the building had only one staircase serving as both the entry and exit route for students and staff. The main entrance was controlled through a biometric thumb-impression system. Survivors said the automated door stopped functioning after the fire broke out, trapping dozens of students on the upper floors as thick smoke rapidly engulfed the building.Forensic Team Seals Lucknow Building As Probe Begins Into Fire That Killed 15 StudentsThe tragedy unfolded shortly after lunch when classes had resumed. Around 30 students and staff members were inside the premises when the fire erupted.A student who escaped the blaze said the biometric access system became non-operational during the emergency, preventing those inside from opening the gate. With no secondary emergency exit and the rooftop access door also found locked, students were left with virtually no escape route.Yash, a friend of one of the injured students, said the building had only one access point fitted with a biometric system. "The system stopped working after the fire broke out. Students could not open the gate in time and many remained trapped inside," he said.Investigators found that several students desperately searched for an exit as smoke spread from the lower floors to the upper levels within minutes. Some locked themselves inside washrooms and rooms in an attempt to escape the smoke, while others tried to find alternative routes out of the building.Blueprint Of A Tragedy: How Lucknow Fire Mirrored Delhi’s Deadly Malviya Nagar Guesthouse BlazeEight to ten students managed to escape by climbing down internet and DTH cables and water pipes attached to the exterior of the building. Three to four others jumped from the second floor to save themselves. Several injured students continue to undergo treatment at KGMU.Initial findings suggest that the fire may have been triggered by an explosion in the compressor of a split air-conditioner. The resulting sparks allegedly ignited nearby furniture and combustible materials, allowing the flames to spread rapidly. Officials, however, said a short circuit has not been ruled out and the exact cause will be established after forensic and technical examinations.Firefighters said dense smoke, rather than flames, proved to be the biggest killer. Many victims were found unconscious inside rooms and washrooms where they had taken shelter. Rescue personnel said the toxic smoke spread quickly through the structure, leaving little time for evacuation.The Fire Department received the distress call at 2:27 pm and dispatched the first fire tender within eight minutes. Additional fire units, SDRF and NDRF teams later joined the rescue operation.'Truly Heartbreaking': Ex-MP & Sena UBT Leader Priyanka Chaturvedi Expresses Grief As Death Toll Rises To 18 In Lucknow Fire TragedyRescuers eventually breached the building's rear wall to gain access to those trapped inside. Officials said the thick wall took time to break, delaying efforts to reach unconscious victims.Investigators are also examining whether the building, originally approved for residential use, was illegally converted into a commercial coaching facility without adequate fire safety measures. Preliminary findings indicate that plastic partitions, aluminium-sheet interiors, packaging material, pet food products and chemicals stored on the lower floors may have intensified the blaze and generated highly toxic smoke.The building has been sealed and forensic experts are continuing their investigation into one of Lucknow's deadliest fire disasters in recent years.

Lucknow: Investigators on Tuesday began a detailed probe into the devastating fire that killed 15 students at a coaching centre and animation institute in Lucknow's Aliganj area, as a forensic team sealed the entire building and started collecting evidence from inside the premises.A Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted on the directions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, visited the site along with forensic experts to determine the cause of the blaze that claimed 15 lives and left several others injured.Officials said the exact cause of the fire has not yet been established. However, preliminary findings suggest that the blaze may have been triggered by the explosion of an air-conditioner compressor. Investigators are examining electrical systems, fire safety arrangements and structural conditions inside the building.Blueprint Of A Tragedy: How Lucknow Fire Mirrored Delhi’s Deadly Malviya Nagar Guesthouse Blaze The SIT, headed by Additional Chief Secretary Amrit Abhijat and comprising senior police officials including ADG Lucknow Zone Praveen Kumar, has been asked to submit its report to the chief minister within seven days.The state government has already taken action against officials found prima facie responsible for lapses. Four officials from the electricity department, fire department and Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) have been suspended pending inquiry.Police have also arrested four people, including the building owner, a pet shop owner operating from the premises, an animation institute operator and another tenant. Two other accused named in the FIR are absconding.An FIR has been registered against six named accused and several unidentified persons under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Uttar Pradesh Fire Service Act. Police said the role of other individuals connected with the building is also being investigated.'Truly Heartbreaking': Ex-MP & Sena UBT Leader Priyanka Chaturvedi Expresses Grief As Death Toll Rises To 18 In Lucknow Fire Tragedy The tragedy unfolded on Monday afternoon when a fire broke out in a commercial building in Purnia locality of Aliganj. The ground floor housed a pet shop, while the first floor was being used as a warehouse. A coaching centre for school students and a 3D animation training institute operated from the upper floors.According to police, the fire started around 2.30 pm and rapidly engulfed the building. Thick smoke and flames trapped dozens of students on the upper floors. Rescue teams comprising firefighters, police personnel and SDRF members launched an operation, but many students could not escape.Fifteen students died in the incident, most of them reportedly due to suffocation. Several others sustained burn injuries, while nine students were seriously injured after jumping from the building in a desperate attempt to save themselves.Lucknow Fire Tragedy: 15 Of 18 Victims Identified By Authorities, 4 Arrested Over Safety Lapses | Video Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath cut short his programme in Aligarh and rushed to Lucknow after learning about the incident. Senior officials, including Principal Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad, DGP Rajeev Krishna and Director General of Fire Services Sujit Pandey, monitored rescue and relief operations at the site.The forensic examination and SIT investigation are expected to focus on the source of the fire, alleged violations of fire safety norms and the accountability of those responsible for operating the building.

Lucknow: Fifteen out of 18 people who lost their lives in the Lucknow fire incident have been identified, authorities said on Tuesday. The deceased individuals have been identified as Shahjan, Sukhmani Singh, Aditya Srivastava, Jwanil Chakraborty, Sagar Pant, Nilesh, Sayyam, Bhavishya, Jyoti, Abdul Rahman, Anamika Samant, Suraj Singh, Md Ammar and Teejraj -- all residents of Lucknow; and Somalya, a resident of West Bengal's South 24 Parganas. Most of the victims are reportedly between 20 and 24 years of age.Officials said that the families of the victims have been informedTwo of the injured have been identified as Lavpreet and Jayant, both residents of Lucknow. They are currently undergoing treatment at King George's Medical University, officials said.Meanwhile, an FIR has been registered against the owners of a commercial building and others in connection with the devastating fire in Lucknow's Aliganj area on Monday evening.#WATCH | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: A joint team comprising the FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) and SIT (Special Investigation Team) inspects the spot, where a massive fire resulted in the death of 15 people yesterday. pic.twitter.com/WH3cwxraPv— ANI (@ANI) June 23, 2026 Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh: Families are mourning the death of Sanyam Vij (28) and Surajbhan Singh (25) who died in the Lucknow fire incident pic.twitter.com/BbKak0Ws1J— IANS (@ians_india) June 23, 2026 The FIR was lodged against six named individuals. The case has been lodged at Aliganj Police Station under Sections 105, 110, 125 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).Three building owners (Ramkrishna Upadhyay, Virendra Prasad Shukla, and Tushank Krishna Jaiswal) were arrested. Hours later, police updated that a fourth accused person (Suresh Kumar Sahu, the studio operator) had also been taken into custody.According to the FIR, the three-storey building located in Sector-D near Purania Chauraha housed a pet shop and clinic on the ground and first floors, a video gaming zone and 3D animation centre on the second floor, and an IT networking office on the third floor. The fire reportedly broke out at around 2:30 P.M. in the pet shop and clinic, filling the entire building with thick smoke. The animals trapped in the pet shop also perished in the fire.Lucknow fire incident | Regarding the incident at Aliganj Police Station, a case has been registered under Sections 110, 105, 125, and 3(5) of the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) and Sections 6/10 of the Uttar Pradesh Fire Service Act against six accused individuals and other… pic.twitter.com/6M3ixjLLga— ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2026 #WATCH | On Lucknow fire incident, Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak says, "Four people have been arrested since last night, and a few officials were also suspended. Based on the SIT report, strict action will be taken in this matter; no person will be spared."15 people… pic.twitter.com/r5WK3Ub8gI— ANI (@ANI) June 23, 2026 The FIR states that the building lacked basic fire safety measures and emergency evacuation facilities.Investigators also noted that the structure had only one entry and exit point, no smoke ventilation system, and electrical installations that were allegedly maintained in an unsafe manner.#WATCH | Lucknow coaching institute fire incident | Morning visuals from the building Aliganj PS area, where a massive fire resulted in the death of 15 people yesterday. pic.twitter.com/lCqp7VlFCS— ANI (@ANI) June 23, 2026 Police had earlier named building owner Virendra Shukla, Tushank Krishna Jaiswal, pet shop owner Ramkrishna Upadhyay, Suresh Kumar, and other unidentified persons as accused.The FIR alleges that the owners and managers knowingly ignored safety requirements despite being aware that such negligence could endanger lives.(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

Seven injured in the fire; investigation into the accident to cover possible lapses in building standards

The victims were mostly students and young professionals associated with an animation training centre and gaming zone located inside the building.