By Ginika Igboke
A fast-moving fire ripped through a commercial building in the Aliganj neighborhood of Lucknow in northern India on Monday, killing at least 14 people, most of them students, and leaving several others injured as emergency crews struggled to pull survivors from smoke-filled floors.
Officials said the blaze broke out in a multi-use structure that housed a pet shop and veterinary clinic on the lower levels, while the upper floors contained a study center and an animation studio where young workers and students were present at the time of the incident. The combination of commercial activity and educational use in a confined building is believed to have contributed to the high casualty count, though authorities have not yet confirmed the cause of the fire.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said rescue teams recovered 14 bodies from the building after hours of search operations. At least 10 additional people were rescued and rushed to nearby hospitals, where several remain in critical condition.
“The situation is tragic, and rescue operations were carried out under extremely difficult circumstances due to heavy smoke and restricted access,” Pathak said.
Preliminary reports suggest the fire spread rapidly through upper floors, trapping occupants inside before they could safely evacuate. Fire officials said thick smoke quickly engulfed corridors and stairwells, making visibility nearly impossible and forcing some people to attempt desperate escapes through windows.
The exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and investigators are examining whether an electrical fault, flammable materials inside the building, or other safety violations may have played a role.
Video footage shared on social media showed chaotic scenes as people tried to escape. In one clip, individuals were seen climbing out of broken windows while bystanders shouted for help from below. Another widely circulated video appeared to show a man falling from an upper floor while attempting to escape; local media reported that he survived the fall and was hospitalized.
Rescue teams said firefighters were forced to break through a rear wall of the building to gain access after dense smoke and blocked stairways prevented entry through the main passageways. Emergency crews deployed exhaust fans and ventilation equipment in an effort to clear toxic smoke before continuing room-by-room searches for survivors who may have been trapped in washrooms, classrooms, and studio spaces.
One employee at the animation studio, Mohammad Asin, described the moment the fire broke out as sudden and overwhelming. He said staff had just returned from their lunch break when they first noticed signs of trouble.
“At first we thought it was a small fire,” Asin said. “By the time we tried to leave, smoke had filled the rooms and passageways. We couldn’t see anything, and it became very difficult to breathe.”
Witnesses and survivors described scenes of panic as people scrambled to find exits in the smoke-filled building, with some reportedly breaking windows in a last attempt to escape.
Authorities said the building’s mixed-use layout and potential fire safety deficiencies are now central to the investigation. Officials will also examine whether emergency exits were properly maintained and whether the structure complied with local safety regulations.
Deadly fires remain a recurring hazard in parts of India, where overcrowded buildings, inadequate enforcement of safety codes, and aging infrastructure have repeatedly contributed to high casualty incidents. Monday’s tragedy has renewed scrutiny of urban building safety standards and emergency preparedness in densely populated commercial districts.
As rescue operations continued into the evening, officials warned that the death toll could still rise as search teams worked through the debris and checked unstable sections of the structure.
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