Lucknow: In a devastating incident that has sent shockwaves across Uttar Pradesh, a massive fire broke out at a multi-storey commercial building in Lucknow’s Purania area under Aliganj police jurisdiction, claiming the lives of 15 innocent individuals, mostly students. The tragedy unfolded on Monday afternoon when flames engulfed the Head Hopper 3D Art Studio and rapidly spread across the structure, trapping dozens of students inside a coaching centre operating on the upper floors. Five others sustained critical injuries and are currently undergoing treatment.
The commercial complex lacked proper fire safety measures, featuring no emergency exits or alternative staircases. Eyewitnesses revealed that the primary staircase, used by everyone to navigate the building, became completely blocked by dense smoke and raging fire within minutes. This effectively sealed the only escape route for the young students trapped upstairs. Desperate for survival, several youngsters attempted to slide down using hanging electrical cables, while others ran towards windows and balconies or hid inside bathrooms, where they unfortunately succumbed to asphyxiation.
The rescue operations faced severe initial delays due to a lack of proper machinery. Emergency teams had to manually use hammers and traditional tools for nearly two hours to break through the concrete walls to create an entry hole. Even after breaching the wall, rescue workers struggled significantly to enter the premises due to thick black smoke suffocating the entire floor. Most casualties are believed to have been caused by severe smoke inhalation rather than direct burn injuries. Among the deceased identified so far are Sagar, Nilesh, Anamika, Shyam, Anucha, Somalia, Shahjan, Rukmani, Aditya Srivastava, and Abdul Rahman.
Taking immediate note of the gravity of the situation, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath cut short his official visit to Aligarh and rushed to the state capital. After inspecting the site, the Chief Minister visited the King George’s Medical University Trauma Centre to meet the injured and console the grieving families. He announced an ex-gratia compensation of five lakh rupees each for the families of the deceased and fifty thousand rupees for the injured. He promised strict action, assuring families that no negligent official or building owner would be spared.
A high-level meeting was subsequently called at the Chief Minister’s residence to fix accountability. Concurrently, Union Defence Minister and Lucknow MP Rajnath Singh also arrived in the city to review the medical facilities being provided to the survivors. Senior administrative and police officials remain stationed at the spot as a detailed investigation into the safety violations gets underway.