15 Dead in Lucknow Building Fire as Students Trapped in Smoke-Filled Coaching Centre
A suspected AC short circuit at a three-storey commercial building in Aliganj turned into a mass tragedy on Monday afternoon, with most victims young students; a biometric lock on the main entrance is reported to have worsened the death toll
NewsArc Bureau | Lucknow, June 22, 2026
At least 15 people were killed — 12 men and 3 women, most of them students — after a massive fire tore through a three-storey commercial building in Lucknow’s Aliganj area on Monday afternoon, in one of the worst urban fire tragedies to strike Uttar Pradesh’s capital in recent years.
The blaze broke out at approximately 2:15 pm at a building on Usha Mehta Marg, housing a pet shop and clinic on the lower floors and, crucially, the Learning Space library and coaching centre along with a 3D animation and game asset studio — Head Hopper Studio — on the second floor. The fire rapidly consumed the structure, trapping dozens of students and young professionals inside as thick smoke made evacuation nearly impossible.
Medical Superintendent of the KGMU Trauma Centre, Dr. Amiya Agrawal, confirmed that 21 to 22 persons were brought to the facility, five of whom were admitted with injuries, while 15 were brought in dead and referred for autopsy. India TV News
THE FIRE AND THE TRAP
Initial reports suggest the blaze originated from a short circuit in the building’s air conditioning unit. However, accounts from survivors and witnesses point to a secondary factor that sharply compounded the tragedy. According to Yash, a friend of one of the deceased, the main entrance of the animation office was secured by a biometric thumbprint system. When the fire broke out, the panic and smoke made it impossible to operate the lock quickly, delaying escape and trapping those inside. India TV News
As flames spread through the building, students on the second floor retreated to bathrooms in a desperate bid to survive. One student, identified as Jayant, jumped from the first floor to escape but fell onto a metal grill below, sustaining severe abdominal injuries. Eyewitness Aman told ANI that thick smoke was billowing from the building when he arrived at the scene, and that bystanders managed to rescue five or six people before the situation became unmanageable. Open Magazine
The fire raged for over an hour before being brought under control. Around ten fire brigade vehicles were deployed, along with teams from SDRF and NDRF. Fire personnel gained entry by breaking through a wall on the second floor of an adjacent house and conducted a room-by-room search, including checks of all washrooms, with exhaust fans installed to manage the heavy smoke. Bodies were recovered through the breach in the rear wall. Open MagazineOpen Magazine
POLITICAL RESPONSE
The scale of the tragedy drew an immediate political response. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath cut short his visit to Aligarh and visited the site, directing senior officials to provide all possible assistance to affected families. Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who was present at the scene, was visibly overcome, telling reporters that he had watched bodies being pulled out before his eyes. Open Magazine
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh departed from Delhi to visit Lucknow and inspect the site. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences, stating he was “anguished” by the loss of lives, and announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh from the PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased, along with financial assistance for the injured. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also expressed grief, calling the incident “extremely heartbreaking.” India TV NewsDeccan Chronicle
The KGMU Vice Chancellor, Professor Sonia Nityanand, confirmed that autopsy proceedings had been initiated for the deceased. India TV News
A LIFE CUT SHORT
Among those confirmed dead was Sukhmani Singh, 23, who had been working at the animation company for four years. His brother, speaking at the post-mortem house, said Sukhmani died of asphyxiation. The family, according to accounts from those present, was inconsolable.
The incident raises sharp questions about fire safety compliance and emergency egress standards in commercial buildings operating coaching centres and offices — questions that have been raised repeatedly in the aftermath of similar tragedies across India in recent years, often without consequence.
Investigations into the precise cause of the fire are underway. Authorities have not yet issued a formal cause of death or a final confirmed death toll, which may rise.
