Lucknow building fire: At least 15 dead, seven injured

Fifteen people were “brought dead” and seven injured were being treated at a hospital in Lucknow following a massive fire that broke out in a three-storey commercial building housing an animation center on Monday, June 22, 2025, according to a hospital official.

KGMU Trauma Center Medical Examiner Dr. Anil Agrawal said that “21 to 22 children were brought” after the incident.

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“15 people were brought dead. After the investigation is completed, they will be sent to the morgue for autopsy,” he said.

Five of them had minor injuries and were taken to hospital. “Due to the jump of the two children, they suffered back injuries, so they are also being treated after CT scans and other procedures,” he said.

“The fire brigade received information about the fire from a training institute located on Usha Mehta Marg under Aliganj police station limits. Fire brigades rushed to the spot and rescue operations are on,” said an official of the fire brigade.

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Unverified videos circulating on social media show a teenager falling from the first floor of the building amid flames near the railing. Locals were seen driving him away from the area.

According to eyewitnesses, eight students jumped from the building during the fire, and it is feared that many students will be trapped inside. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak visited the fire scene to monitor the ongoing rescue and relief efforts.

“When I arrived at the scene, I saw smoke coming from the building. Some students had already been rescued and four to five students managed to get out of the building,” an eyewitness told local media members.

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“Several people are suspected to have died in the incident,” said a senior health department official in the district. PTI.

In the footage, a young man is seen jumping from the first floor of the building as the fire engulfed the building.

Local police reached the scene immediately after receiving information and teams from nearby fire stations were dispatched with water tankers and fire-fighting equipment, a police official said. Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak also reached the field.

Deputy CM Pathak said the priority is to rescue everyone trapped in the building safely. While the fire brigade said the fire broke out in a training centre, Mr Pathak said it was an animation centre.

“There are different figures from eyewitnesses about how many people may be trapped. A clear picture will emerge after a while,” he said.

Mr. Pathak said the fire broke out in the education center in the building and efforts were being made to rescue all students safely.

“Some of the children were rescued. Their friends say that there may be 2-3-3-4 children inside. Fire personnel reached the top floor, but no one has been found inside so far. All rooms and bathrooms have been checked.”

He said that because the dense smoke made the rescue operation difficult, fire personnel entered the building from the adjacent structure after breaking the wall.

“A proper search operation is underway. Our priority is to get the injured to hospital, provide the best possible treatment and evacuate everyone safely,” Mr. Pathak said.

He added that the hospital, ambulance and medical teams were ready and the necessary arrangements were made for the treatment of the injured students.

Deputy CM said that there is a pet store on the ground floor of the 3-storey building and an animation center on the upper floor.

“This is a very sad incident; nearly a dozen young people lost their lives, a high-level investigation has been launched. The government is with the victim families. This is a very sad incident. 13 children were rescued. There is smoke inside, all rooms are being checked. Fire officials, NDRF team are inside…” he added.

Eyewitnesses said that some fire brigades entered the building with wet blankets, and some injured people were taken to the hospital by ambulances.

PTI While the flames were taken under control, the stretchers and body bags witnessed were taken into the building, but the smoke continued to cause problems.

A woman who lives nearby and runs a paying guest facility said: PTI It was learned that there was panic at the scene and some people claimed that students might still be inside the building.

In the images at the scene, firefighters wearing safety clothing were seen climbing the building using ladders from outside. It was seen that another team tried to enter the adjacent building of similar height by creating an access point from the top, while other teams continued their efforts to extinguish the flames.

In the videos, a teenager is seen falling from the first floor of the building amid flames near the railing. It was seen that people outside immediately took him away from the scene. His condition was not immediately known.

A local told PTI“When I arrived at the scene, I saw smoke rising from the building. Some students had already been rescued and 4-5 students managed to get out of the building.

“However, although the exact number has not been confirmed, it is believed that some are still trapped inside. Our only hope is for everyone to get out safely. It took some time for fire crews to reach the scene,” he said.

Another resident said, “The fire may have started from a spark. 7-8 students jumped from the building to save themselves. However, it is feared that around 20-25 students are still trapped inside.” While firefighting efforts continue, more detailed information is expected.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed sadness over the incident. “The loss of life in the fire accident in Lucknow is extremely sad and heartbreaking. My condolences to the bereaved family. We pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant peace to the souls of the deceased and speedy recovery to the injured,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh from PMNRF to the next of kin of each deceased.

“I am pained for those who lost their lives in the fire accident that took place in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. I offer my condolences to the bereaved families. I hope the injured recover soon. Rescue operations are ongoing and authorities are providing all possible assistance. The next of kin of each deceased will be given an additional gratuity of ₹ 2 lakh from PMNRF. The injured will be given ₹ 50,000,” PM Modi said.

Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) and Additional Chief Secretary (Home) have been directed by the government to visit the spot and submit a detailed report on the incident.

Inquiring about the fire incident, Mr. Adithyanath cut short his visit to Aligarh and visited the area. He also announced ₹ 5 lakh per person for relatives of the dead and ₹ 50,000 ex gratia for the injured.

Mr. Adityanath also visited the hospital, met the victims and assured them that the government would not spare those responsible for the fire tragedy.

Uttar Pradesh Congress unit chief Ajay Rai said such a major incident taking place in the State capital, where the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, Cabinet Ministers and many MLAs live, shows the failure of the BJP government. “This is an example of gross negligence.

“The government must respond. A high-level investigation must be conducted into this matter. I extend my deepest condolences to the families of the victims,” ​​Mr. Rai said.

President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President CP Radhakrishnan expressed their condolences to those who lost their lives in the fire.

President Murmu said that it was extremely saddening to learn of the loss of life in the terrible fire accident in Lucknow and expressed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.

In a Hindi post on

Expressing his sadness over the incident, Vice President Radhakrishnan said in his social media post: “It is deeply painful for those who lost their lives in the fire accident that occurred in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. I offer my sincere condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.”

(With information from PTI)