A desperate phone call echoed through the chaos.
“Bacha lo… Save me.”
The plea came from inside a commercial building in Lucknow’s Aliganj area, where students and young professionals found themselves trapped as flames and toxic smoke rapidly engulfed the upper floors.
By nightfall, 15 people were dead, dozens were injured, and families across the city were left shattered in one of Lucknow’s worst fire disasters in recent years.
What began as a seemingly routine fire emergency quickly spiralled into a tragedy that exposed serious questions about building safety, emergency preparedness and regulatory oversight.
Panic as Fire Consumes Upper Floors
The fire broke out in a three-storey commercial complex located in Sector D of Aliganj. The basement, ground floor and first floor housed a pet shop and veterinary clinic. The second floor accommodated Learning Space, a coaching centre, and Head Hopper Studio, a company engaged in 3D art production and game asset outsourcing.
Many of those inside were students attending animation classes during their summer vacation. Others were young artists and employees working at the studio.
Initially, many believed it was a manageable fire incident. But within minutes, thick black smoke spread through the building, cutting off escape routes and trapping dozens inside.
Videos circulating on social media showed horrifying scenes. Young men and women could be seen hanging from windows, climbing down pipes and desperately shouting for help as smoke poured out of the building.
Eyewitnesses said screams could be heard from inside the structure. “It was clear from the screams that many people were still trapped inside,” one witness recalled.
Students Hide in Bathrooms as Smoke Spreads
As smoke engulfed the upper floors, panic spread rapidly. Some students desperately searched for windows or alternate exits. Others took shelter inside bathrooms after realizing escape routes had become inaccessible.
One trapped youth reportedly called family members and friends, informing them that five to six people had locked themselves inside a bathroom and were waiting for rescuers. They hoped the walls would protect them from the flames and smoke until help arrived. For many, that help came too late.
Student Jumps from Building
One of the most dramatic moments unfolded when a student, unable to endure the advancing flames any longer, opened a window and jumped from an upper floor. Terrified onlookers watched as he crashed onto a metal grill below.
Locals immediately rushed to his aid before he was transported to hospital in critical condition. Visuals from the scene showed residents carrying the injured student away as firefighters continued battling the blaze. Several others managed to escape with injuries, but many remained trapped inside the smoke-filled structure.
“Everything Was Burning”
One survivor later recounted the terrifying moments inside. Holding up his burnt hands before television cameras, he described how people desperately searched for any possible escape route.
“Everything was burning. We were running. We jumped down using a burning wire. My hands got burnt while trying to escape,” he said.
The survivor suffered burns while gripping the wire during his desperate escape. Witnesses said panic spread through the floors occupied by the animation studio and coaching centre as smoke rapidly reduced visibility and breathing became increasingly difficult.
Families Rush to the Scene
Outside, panic quickly turned into heartbreak. Family members who received frantic phone calls from trapped loved ones rushed to the building. Many residents joined rescue efforts, smashing windows and trying to create openings through which smoke could escape.
One distraught mother repeatedly begged officials to let her enter the burning building. “Mujhe jaane do apne bete ke paas (Let me go to my son),” she cried while struggling to get past police personnel. The cries of worried parents, siblings and friends echoed through the area as rescue teams battled the fire.
Residents Become First Responders
Before major rescue teams could fully access the building, local residents became the first responders. People shattered glass windows in an attempt to create ventilation openings. Others shouted directions to those trapped inside while trying to identify where people were stranded.
Residents from neighbouring buildings supplied drinking water to firefighters as the rescue operation intensified. Among those watching helplessly was civil services aspirant Anurag Pandit. “I am praying they are alive,” he said as rescue efforts continued.
Firefighters Face Major Challenges
Officials later revealed that the building’s layout became one of the biggest obstacles during rescue operations. The structure had only one entry and exit point. That route was quickly engulfed by flames, effectively trapping people inside.
As firefighters struggled to enter through the smoke-filled building, rescue teams were forced to adopt alternative strategies. Personnel used hydraulic cutters, drilling machines and hammers to break through walls from an adjoining building.
When rescuers finally created a large opening, a massive cloud of thick black smoke burst out, temporarily overwhelming even experienced emergency personnel and highlighting the intensity of the blaze. For several hours, officials had no clear estimate of how many people remained trapped inside.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police and fire services worked continuously at the site.
A total of 19 fire tenders were deployed. The operation began around 3 pm and continued until nearly 6 pm, by which point it had largely shifted from rescue to recovery.
Soldier Joins Rescue Effort
Among those who stepped forward to help was Lance Naik Chhabi Ram. The soldier, attached to the Lucknow headquarters, happened to be passing through the area when he noticed the fire. Without hesitation, he joined rescue efforts and assisted emergency personnel. Later, he said he witnessed more than a dozen bodies being brought out of the building while several people were rescued alive.
Rescue Turns Into Recovery
As the fire intensified, senior officials rushed to the scene. Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak personally monitored rescue operations and instructed authorities to send every available ambulance to the area. “Send all available ambulances here immediately,” he directed. Soon afterward, rescue workers began requesting additional stretchers. Then came the grim confirmation everyone feared.
The first body emerged from the smoke-filled building. Then another…, Then another.
Soon rescuers informed officials that the available stretchers would not be enough. A stunned silence descended over the crowd as the rescue operation transformed into a recovery mission. Families waiting anxiously outside broke down as body after body was carried out from the charred structure.
Aditya Srivastava’s Final Phone Call
Among those killed was 25-year-old Aditya Srivastava, an employee at the animation studio. According to colleague Dhiraj Mehra, Aditya called him from inside the burning building. “He called me saying, ‘Bacha lo’ (Save me), and I rushed to the spot,” Mehra recalled.
By the time he arrived, the building was engulfed in dense smoke and rescuers were racing against time. Aditya’s mother later broke down while speaking about her son’s death.
“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.” Her words reflected the grief and anger felt by many families who lost young sons and daughters in the tragedy.
Pet Shop Also Destroyed
The devastation extended beyond the students and employees trapped upstairs. The lower floors housed Drool, a pet shop and clinic that was completely gutted in the blaze. Some animals survived with injuries, while others were found covered in ash.
Animal rights activist Kiran Shukla expressed concern that several animals may have died, although no official confirmation was immediately available.
Questions Raised Over Building Approvals
As rescue operations ended, attention shifted toward possible regulatory failures. Sources indicated that the building had originally been approved as a residential property before being converted into a commercial complex.
House tax records reportedly show that the property was sanctioned under a residential plan before commercial activities began. The building is owned by Virendra Prasad Shukla, who is reportedly associated with Rameshwaram Engineering College.
Lucknow Development Authority records reportedly list ownership under Virendra Prasad Shukla and his brothers, Surendra Shukla and Dhirendra Shukla.
According to sources, the residential plan had been approved earlier, while commercial conversion took place in 2014. Officials are now examining whether regulatory lapses allowed the conversion and whether action should be taken against officials responsible for oversight. The tragedy has also triggered serious questions regarding compliance with fire safety regulations.
Under existing norms, buildings under 15 metres in height and covering less than 500 square metres are not required to obtain a Fire Department No Objection Certificate (NOC). Sources said the owners never applied for a fire NOC.
Chief Minister Orders Action
King George’s Medical University (KGMU) Vice-Chancellor Prof Sonia Nityanand confirmed that 15 bodies were brought to the hospital. “One child has suffered a broken waist. The remaining injured are undergoing treatment,” she said.
She added that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had instructed doctors to provide the best possible treatment to the injured and assured strict action against those found responsible.
The bodies were later shifted for identification and post-mortem examinations. Most of the victims were young adults. Additional police personnel were deployed at hospitals and mortuaries as relatives searched for missing loved ones.
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, visibly emotional after visiting the site, told reporters he had seen 14 bodies being brought out. “These were young boys and girls, our children,” he said.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath later cut short his visit to Aligarh and returned to Lucknow. He inspected the gutted building, visited KGMU and assured grieving families that those responsible for the tragedy would face strict punishment.
A City in Mourning
At the post-mortem house, the tragedy continued long after the flames had been extinguished. Relatives including Abdul Rahman and Sukhmani arrived carrying photographs of missing loved ones, desperately seeking answers. Inside, officials conducted identification and autopsy procedures.
Outside, grieving parents, siblings and friends waited for the bodies of those who never made it out alive. The screams that once echoed through the smoke-filled building had fallen silent.
But the pain left behind had spread far beyond the charred structure—into hospitals, mortuaries and homes across Lucknow.
As night fell, families carrying photographs of missing sons and daughters moved between hospitals and mortuaries, trying to understand how an ordinary day at an animation studio became one of the deadliest fire disasters the city has witnessed in recent years.
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