A devastating fire that broke out in a commercial building in Lucknow's Aliganj area on June 22, 2026, has claimed at least 15 lives and left several others injured, making it one of the city's deadliest fire incidents in recent years.
Most of the victims were students and young adults who were present inside the building when the blaze erupted.
The Incident And Rescue Operations
The fire broke out at a three-storey building on Usha Mehta Marg in Sector-D, near Purania Chauraha (Puraniya Crossing), in the Aliganj area of northwestern Lucknow.
The ground and first floors of the building housed a commercial pet shop and veterinary clinic.
The second floor has a 3D animation training centre and a video gaming zone, where most students attend online classes.
The third floor is the top of the building, accommodating an IT networking office and a student library.
The fire broke out due to an electrical short circuit in the commercial pet shop and veterinary clinic located on the first floor.
Exactly around 02:30 p.m on June 22, 2026, the short circuit sparked a fire on the first floor, which quickly spread to flammable veterinary materials and wooden furniture.
The blaze found its way into the building's central air-conditioning ductwork.
This system acted like a chimney, rapidly channelling toxic smoke and extreme heat to the upper floors.
First, permission for the building was granted only for residential use. But it was illegally converted for commercial use in 2014, so it lacked an emergency exit or fire escape.
The thick black smoke quickly choked the single central staircase.
This cut off the only exit path for the students trapped in the second-floor animation studio and third-floor library, leading to mass suffocation.
As the staircase was entirely blocked, panicking students shattered upper-floor windows to escape.
Numerous individuals stated that they observed around 7 to 8 students leaping from the first and second floors to escape the smoke.
Viral videos that were captured show the locals rushing to catch or carry away the students who hit fences, railings, and the ground, resulting in severe bone fractures and impacts.
Some of the students who were trapped inside the building were seen using ropes to slide down the exterior walls of the building before heavy emergency machinery could be deployed.
Arrival Of First Responders
Firefighters and teams from the SDRF and NDRF deployed 14 fire tenders, including hydraulic platforms, to the incident.
As there were no rear or secondary exits, responders physically tore down a structural wall to break the smoke-logged second and third floors.
It took the firefighters over three hours of continuous firefighting to fully suppress the blaze and dissipate the toxic smoke enough to execute room-to-room recovery operations.
Mass Casualties And Hospitalizations
The rescue team covered the bodies of people who were trapped inside the building.
A total of 15 people, mostly young students between 16 and 25 years old, were declared dead, predominantly from severe smoke inhalation.
At least 22 individuals were taken to the King George's Medical University (KGMU) Trauma Centre, where 9 remain under critical care for burns, shock, and traumatic impact injuries from jumping.
Immediate Legal And Government Crackdown
By evening, the Lucknow Police filed an FIR against six individuals and arrested the building's owners.
Virendra Prasad Shukla, the primary building owner, is also associated with the Rameshwaram Group and Engineering institutions in Lucknow.
Ramakrishna Upadhyay, the owner and operator of the ground-floor pet shop and veterinary clinic, where the short circuit initially ignited.
Tushok Krishna Jaiswal, the owner of the upper-floor commercial office space, where game development and animation training were conducted.
Suresh Kumar Sahu, the tenant who rented out the upper portions of the complex for business operations.
All these property owners and operators face serious charges as they were all arrested under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and Section 125 (acts endangering life).
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the site with Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak, establishing a two-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) and ordering an immediate safety audit for all commercial coaching centres across the state.
Financial Aid
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep grief over the loss of lives and sanctioned relief from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF)
₹2 lakh has been announced for the next of kin of each deceased victim.
₹50,000 will be given to each injured individual.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the survivors at King George's Medical University (KGMU) and announced additional compensation from the state government.
The outcome of the ongoing investigation is expected to shape future safety regulations and accountability measures aimed at preventing similar tragedies.
