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Two holes made in wall, bodies carried out: Inside Lucknow fire rescue

Visuals from the spot showed firefighters lifting a body on a stretcher from the hole in the wall.

15 people were killed in the Lucknow fire tragedy

3 min readLucknowJun 23, 2026 01:36 AM IST First published on: Jun 22, 2026 at 06:45 PM IST

As a fire tore through a three-storey commercial building in Lucknow’s Aliganj area on Monday afternoon, killing 15 people, firefighting operations were hampered by difficult access. Firemen and State Disaster Response Force personnel then got to the terrace of the adjoining residential house, where two big holes were made by the SDRF personnel into the side wall of the commercial building to enter inside.

Firemen and State Disaster Response Force personnel had to get to the terrace of the adjoining residential building, where two big holes were made by the SDRF personnel into the side wall of the commercial building to enter inside.

Visuals from the spot showed firefighters making a hole in a brick wall and pushing a water hose through it to douse the blaze. Another visual showed firefighters carrying a body on a stretcher.

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A few victims had shut themselves inside the washroom to escape the flames and smoke, but they all found dead, said officials.

This before-and-after photo combination displays the severe extent of the structural damage. The top image, sourced from Google Maps Street View, shows the building as it stood in November 2025, displaying the various commercial establishments operating on its premises. The bottom image, a PTI photo, captures the immediate aftermath of Monday’s incident, showing the heavily charred exterior of the structure as emergency personnel and firefighters work through the wreckage to douse the flames and secure the site.. (PTI)

Acknowledging the challenges, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak told the media: “There was no space to enter, rescue teams had to break a wall to enter.”

“This is a very sad incident… a high-level inquiry has been ordered… The government stands with the victim’s families,” Pathak added.

A frantic call at 2.35 pm, then screams | How Lucknow fire that killed 15 unfolded

As reports emerged that the fire was severe, senior police, administrative and government officials hurried to the scene to oversee the response

Acknowledging the challenges, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak told the media: “There was no space to enter, rescue teams had to break a wall to enter.” (Express Photo by Vishal Shrivastav)

The building housed a pet clinic and shop on the basement, ground and first floors. A graphics animation centre and a library were on the second floor. On either side of the building were a residential premises and a store called Empress Computers which makes custom-made gaming PCs.

This fire incident in Lucknow comes within weeks of a massive blaze in Delhi. Twenty-three people, including foreign nationals, were killed in the fire that destroyed a ground-plus-five-storey building operating as a bed and breakfast (B&B) establishment in Malviya Nagar in South Delhi.

Police had said the foreign nationals belonged to Liberia, Nigeria, and Mozambique in Africa, and Bangladesh. Most of them were medical tourists who had come to India for treatment, or were accompanying patients.