At least 15 people were killed after a massive fire tore through a three-storey commercial building in Lucknow’s upscale Aliganj area on Monday afternoon. While a pet shop was on the ground floor, the second floor, which bore the brunt of the blaze, housed Head Hopper Studios, a company involved in 3D art production and game development. Most of the victims worked there.
The fire department first received information about the blaze at the building on Usha Mehta Marg, under the Aliganj police station limits, around 3 pm, officials said. A fire department official said 14 fire tenders, including a hydraulic platform vehicle, were pressed into service.
According to officials, firefighters had no way to enter the building since the only way in was engulfed in flames and smoke, and they had to break a side wall after reaching the terrace of the adjoining house to begin the rescue operation. It took another hour for constables to use sledgehammers to make two holes in the wall to enter the building. The families of several victims told The Indian Express that precious minutes were lost in the process.
While the ground floor has a pet shop, the upper floor has a graphic animation training centre. Officials said more clarity on the nature of the businesses inside the building is awaited. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)
The only entrance to the building was a narrow staircase, which also served as the sole exit. There was no emergency exit on any floor, and no ventilation was found in any of the halls or rooms, officials said.
The biggest trap for the victims was that entry to the studios was through biometric access, which got locked after the fire broke out, officials and the relatives of some of the victims said. There was also a lock on the terrace door.
Several people were seen jumping from the building, and one of them sustained fractures. Some broke open a window and rappelled down an electric cable. A few victims who were trapped had shut themselves inside the washroom to escape the flames and smoke. They were all found dead, officials said.
The dead include 11 men and four women.
Police have arrested three people so far: Ramkrishna Upadhyay, 43; Virendra Prasad Shukla, 62; T K Jaiswal, 31; and Suresh Kumar Sahu, a resident of Keshav Nagar.
According to Assistant Commissioner of Police, Aliganj, Shashi Prakash Mishra, Upadhyay operated the pet clinic housed in the building, while Shukla and Jaiswal are among the owners of the premises. Police said Shukla’s son, Akhilesh, ran the studio.
Sections invoked against them include attempt to commit culpable homicide and culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered the suspension of four officials: Gaurav Kumar, Executive Engineer (Collection) of Electricity Department of Lucknow’s Jankipuram area; Kamlendra Kumar Singh, Fire Service Officer of Indira Nagar Fire station; Anil Kumar and Pramod Pandey, Assistant Engineer and Junior Engineer of the Lucknow Development Authority.
The CM also visited the site of the fire and later met the injured men and women at King George’s Medical University (KGMU), assuring strict action against those found responsible.
The fire department received information about the blaze around 3 pm from the building on Usha Mehta Marg under Aliganj police station limits, officials said. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)
KGMU Vice-Chancellor Sonia Nityanand told The Indian Express that all 15 victims suffocated to death.
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said a high-level inquiry has been ordered. “When the fire was reported, (people) ran towards the back (to save themselves). I myself saw about 13-14 bodies… There was no space to enter, so rescue teams had to break a wall to get in,” he said.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted on the CM’s order after he held a meeting with the Chief Secretary, ACS Home, DGP and other top officers. It has been given seven days to submit the report.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh from the PM’s relief fund for the families of those who died, and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
This blaze in Lucknow comes within weeks of a massive fire 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.
The fire department received information about the blaze around 3 pm from the building located on Usha Mehta Marg under Aliganj police station limits, officials said. (Express photo by Vishal Srivastav) 
While the ground floor has a pet shop, the upper floor has a graphic animation training centre. Officials said more clarity on the nature of the businesses inside the building is awaited. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)
The fire department received information about the blaze around 3 pm from the building on Usha Mehta Marg under Aliganj police station limits, officials said. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)
Share
