Lucknow is home to 14 people dead and several others wounded in a massive fire in a commercial building in the Aliganj area of northwest Lucknow on Monday. The building housed a coaching centre on the first floor and a pet shop, along with other commercial businesses. Students and employees, who had been trying to survive the fire were in a panic mode and had to make desperate efforts to stay alive.
Witnesses reported scenes of chaos in which smoke filled the building and calls for help were heard from inside. According to news of students jumping from the first floor to escape the fast-moving fire. Videos from the scene spread quickly on social media (people jumping, jumping and falling off the ledge while being thrown in the air and falling) to the ground. Bystanders rushed to his aid immediately, helping him up and pulling him away from the danger zone first and carrying him out of the danger zone, and helped him up and saving him away from the disaster zone in his midst. The victim was reported to have been injured and was treated for injuries, the police said, and is currently in hospital.
उत्तर प्रदेश : लखनऊ में लाइब्रेरी में आग लगी। कई छात्र छात्रा ऊपर से ही कूदे। बचाव राहत कार्य जारी है। pic.twitter.com/XW8AUDTqny
— Sachin Gupta (@Sachingupta) June 22, 2026
Witnesses said at least five to seven students jumped from the building in the incident. One of them received multiple fractures after falling on the ground. Residents and shopkeepers jumped to the rescue efforts before local emergency services arrived and helped evacuate people and clear pathways for firefighters.
The fire was reported to have raged for more than an hour before fire department personnel managed to control it. Police and fire crews were on the scene in huge numbers and broke windows and moved into smoke-filled areas of the building to search for survivors. At least 14 bodies were recovered after the fire was extinguished, making it one of the city’s deadliest fire incidents in years.
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak visited the site to monitor the rescue operation and assess the situation. People interviewed by reporters said the building was three storeys high and the fire spread quickly after breaking out on the upper floor. It is not yet known how many people were in the coaching centre at the time of the fire.
Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, expressed his deep sorrow for the loss of lives and directed district authorities to keep in touch with families suffering. It was advised that all the injured people need to be treated with the best medical treatment and victims and their relatives are provided all possible assistance by authorities, he said.
A fire investigation has been launched and safety measures were put in place as well. But the tragedy has reignited the fire safety concerns in crowded commercial and educational establishments across the country to which families are still awaiting answers.
