Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath cut short his visit to Aligarh and reached the site to review the situation. He later visited the injured at the hospital.
Published: June 23, 2026, 10:10 AM IST
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Lucknow Fire Latest Update
New Delhi: In an unfortunate incident, a major fire ripped through a three-storey commercial building housing an animation centre in a posh north Lucknow neighbourhood on a busy Monday afternoon, leaving at least 15 people, mostly students, dead and nine injured. According to the officials, many of the victims were trapped on the second floor of the building, located on Usha Mehta Marg in a residential part of Aliganj, where students were attending classes at the centre.
Four individuals have been arrested in connection with the incident, police said on Monday night. The accused are joint owners of the building, officials said. Preliminary information suggested the fire may have started in the building’s AC duct and the smoke led to suffocation due to the absence of a proper exit route, UP Urban Development and Energy Minister A K Sharma said, adding possible lapses in building standards would be probed.
Eyewitnesses said several people jumped out of the building, which was completely gutted in the fire. Some people were seen rappelling down the wires to escape the blaze.The victims had to be brought out from the terrace of an adjoining building, where rescue teams had to drill two large openings into the affected building to gain access while the fire was still raging.
What did eyewitnesses say?
Speaking to the BBC, Anurag said, “Our neighbour also called for help because the fire was about to spread to their house. Had the fire brigade been delayed by even five more minutes, two nearby buildings would have caught fire as well.”
“I was resting in my room when I noticed a strong smell coming from outside. When I looked out, a massive fire had already broken out and people were desperately pleading for help. People were shouting from the windows, begging to be rescued. Some residents even tried to break the window panes by throwing stones.”
Another eyewitness, Arvind, said that the building housed a pet shop, with what appeared to be a pet hospital in the basement, while the top floor reportedly contained a gaming zone.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath visits accident site:
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath cut short his visit to Aligarh and reached the site to review the situation. He later visited the injured at the hospital.
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who had reached the spot as the rescue operation was underway, said a high-level inquiry had been ordered.
He said that the children had come during summer holidays to learn animation at the centre. “The fire broke out suddenly. While there is no immediate clarity about the sequence of events, it seems that the children ran towards the back side when the fire broke out but they couldn’t survive,” he said.
With tears welling in his eyes, the deputy chief minister said he had seen 14 bodies at the spot. “They were our children. It is a very tragic incident,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, Defence Minister and Lucknow MP Rajnath Singh and others expressed anguish at the loss of lives. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi sent condolence messages.
PM Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000. The UP CM also declared an ex-gratia assistance of Rs 5 lakh each for the families of those who died in the fire and Rs 50,000 each for the injured.
UP minister A K Sharma, who visited the site on Monday night, said the incident would be thoroughly investigated, including possible lapses in building standards, and strict action would be taken.
