A devastating fire at a commercial building in Lucknow’s Aliganj area turned into a nightmare for dozens of students and young professionals on Monday, leaving at least 15 people dead and several others injured. The blaze, which engulfed an animation training centre and gaming studio, trapped many inside as desperate calls for help echoed through the smoke-filled structure.
Families waiting outside the building recalled receiving heartbreaking phone calls from their loved ones. Some students locked themselves inside bathrooms hoping rescuers would reach them in time, while others tried to escape through windows and burning electrical wires.
Lucknow Fire Traps Students Inside Bathrooms
The three-storey building housed a pet shop and veterinary clinic on the lower floors, while the second floor accommodated Learning Space coaching centre and Head Hopper Studio, an animation and game asset production company.
Several students attending summer classes and young artists working at the studio found themselves trapped after thick smoke rapidly filled the upper floor, blocking escape routes.
According to relatives, one trapped youth called family members saying that five to six people had taken shelter inside a bathroom and were waiting to be rescued.
As flames intensified, some students attempted to reach windows for fresh air. Eyewitnesses said screams from inside the building made it evident that many people were still trapped.
“It was clear from the screams that many people were still inside,” a witness said.
Survivor Escapes Through Burning Wire
One survivor narrated his terrifying escape from the inferno. Showing his burnt hands to television cameras, he recalled climbing down using an electrical wire.
“Everything was burning. We were running. We jumped down using a burning wire. My hands got burnt while trying to escape,” he said.
In one of the most dramatic moments of the rescue operation, a young man jumped from an upper floor to escape the advancing flames. He landed on a grill below and was rushed to hospital in critical condition.
Videos circulating on social media showed people clinging to window ledges, climbing pipes and shouting for help as thick black smoke engulfed the building.
Families Waited Helplessly Outside
The tragedy unfolded before anxious family members who rushed to the spot after receiving distress calls.
One grieving mother repeatedly begged police personnel to allow her to enter the building.
“Mujhe jaane do apne bete ke paas (Let me go to my son),” she cried.
Residents smashed windows in an attempt to release smoke and guide trapped students towards possible exits. Others supplied drinking water to firefighters as rescue efforts intensified.
Aditya Srivastava’s Last Call For Help
Among those who lost their lives was 25-year-old Aditya Srivastava, an employee at the animation studio.
His colleague, Dhiraj Mehra, said Aditya had called him moments before losing contact.
“He called me saying ‘Bacha lo’ (Save me), and I rushed to the spot,” Mehra said.
By the time he arrived, dense smoke had already engulfed the building.
Aditya’s mother later blamed delayed action for the tragedy.
“Had attention been paid at the right time, perhaps the children could have been saved. My son worked at the animation studio. I reached there around 2.20 pm. Nobody answered the phone,” she said.
“Had someone paid a little more attention, my son would be alive today. My world has been destroyed.”
Firefighters Faced Major Challenges
Rescue teams struggled to enter the building because it had only one entry and exit point, which was quickly consumed by flames.
When conventional methods failed, firefighters, NDRF and SDRF personnel broke through walls of an adjoining building using hydraulic cutters and drilling machines.
The rescue operation began around 3 pm and continued until nearly 6 pm. However, as bodies started being recovered, the operation gradually turned into a recovery mission.
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who reached the site, instructed officials to send every available ambulance to Aliganj.
Soon after, rescuers called for more stretchers as body after body was brought out of the charred structure.
Questions Raised Over Safety Norms
The tragedy has raised serious concerns about building approvals and fire safety compliance.
Sources said the structure was originally sanctioned as a residential property and later converted into a commercial complex in 2014.
Officials are now examining whether the conversion violated regulations and whether oversight failures contributed to the disaster.
According to existing rules, buildings below 15 metres in height and spread across less than 500 square metres do not require a fire department No Objection Certificate (NOC). Sources said the owners had never applied for one.
King George’s Medical University Vice-Chancellor Prof Sonia Nityanand confirmed that 15 bodies were brought to the hospital.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath later visited the site and KGMU, assuring families that those responsible for the tragedy would face strict action.
As night fell, distraught families carrying photographs of missing loved ones moved between hospitals and mortuaries, searching for answers about how an ordinary day inside an animation studio turned into one of Lucknow’s worst fire disasters in recent years.
