At least 15 people, including several children, lost their lives and a number of others sustained injuries after a massive fire engulfed a three-storey commercial building in Lucknow’s Aliganj area on Monday afternoon, triggering panic and a large-scale rescue operation.

The blaze broke out in a building located on Usha Mehta Marg, which housed multiple establishments, including an animation centre, a coaching institute and a pet shop. The fire spread rapidly through the structure, trapping several occupants inside and forcing some to jump from the building in a desperate attempt to escape.

According to Dr. Anil Agrawal, Medical Superintendent of the Trauma Centre at King George’s Medical University (KGMU), around 21 to 22 children were brought to the hospital following the incident.

“Fifteen people were brought dead to the hospital. The bodies will be sent for post-mortem examination after completion of legal formalities,” he said.

He added that five injured persons were admitted for treatment, while two children who jumped from the building sustained serious back injuries and were undergoing medical evaluation and treatment.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos as thick smoke and flames engulfed the building within a short span of time.

Aman, a local resident who participated in rescue efforts, told news agency ANI that people rushed to help after noticing smoke emerging from the premises.

“When we arrived, smoke was coming out of the building. We managed to rescue five or six people. One person jumped from the building and suffered severe injuries. We believe some people were still trapped inside at that time,” he said.

Fire and emergency services immediately launched a rescue operation. Fourteen fire tenders, including a hydraulic platform vehicle, were pressed into service to contain the blaze and search for survivors. Officials said the fire was reported at around 3 p.m.

Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who visited the site, said preliminary information suggested that the fire originated in an animation centre operating inside the building.

“The fire broke out suddenly. It appears that many children tried to move towards the rear portion of the building after the blaze started, but unfortunately they could not escape. While the exact casualty figure was still being verified, I personally saw 11 to 12 bodies,” he told reporters.

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Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath immediately returned to Lucknow after cutting short his scheduled programme in Aligarh. He visited the hospital, met grieving family members and later inspected the fire site.

Addressing a gathering before leaving Aligarh, the Chief Minister expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy.

“I have just received information about a tragic fire incident in Lucknow. Some children were trapped in the blaze and have lost their lives. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish over the loss of lives and announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each deceased and ₹50,000 for those injured.

In a message posted on social media, the Prime Minister said rescue operations were underway and authorities were providing all possible assistance to the affected families.

President Droupadi Murmu also conveyed her condolences, describing the incident as extremely tragic and expressing sympathy with the bereaved families while praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.

Vice President CP Radhakrishnan termed the loss of lives deeply painful and offered condolences to the families affected by the tragedy.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the incident as heart-rending and prayed for the swift recovery of all those injured in the fire.

Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav paid tribute to the victims and called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances that led to the disaster.

Calling the incident “extremely tragic,” Yadav urged the government to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured and take effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Authorities have initiated an investigation to determine the exact cause of the fire. Preliminary inquiries are expected to focus on fire safety compliance, emergency exits and whether adequate precautionary measures were in place at the commercial establishment.

The tragedy has once again raised concerns about fire safety standards in educational and commercial buildings, particularly those operating in densely populated urban areas. Rescue and investigation efforts were continuing at the time of filing this report.

(with inputs from Agencies)