Lucknow fire: Single staircase, blocked exit turned building into death trap

With just one way in and one way out, a three-storey, box-like building in Lucknow’s Aliganj area turned into a death trap after a fire broke out on Monday afternoon, killing 15 people by suffocation. That lone access route was lined with air-conditioning panels, tangled wires and other equipment fixed along a narrow passage, leaving those inside with little room to escape once the fire spread.

According to the details available, the air-conditioning units and electrical fittings allegedly intensified the fire, turning the building’s only escape path into a choke point. The structure also had a single narrow staircase linking the upper floors to the ground floor and basement, further limiting movement as smoke filled the premises.

The basement was being used by a pet shop for storage and operations, while the first floor housed the pet shop itself. The fire is believed to have started there before quickly spreading to the upper floors, which were occupied by a studio and a coaching centre.

By the time rescue teams reached the site, the building’s enclosed design had trapped dense smoke inside, and the absence of alternative emergency exits or external evacuation points left firefighters with few options.

As they could not reach those trapped through the usual routes, fire personnel used hydraulic cutters, hammers and drilling machines to break through neighbouring walls. They created a large opening in a second-floor wall shared with an adjacent house. When the wall was first punctured, a thick cloud of black smoke burst out, briefly overwhelming the rescuers before exhaust fans were brought in to clear the area and make entry safer.

That opening then became one of the main rescue routes, with stretchers carrying survivors and victims moved through the neighbouring property while emergency teams continued operations inside the smoke-filled building. Outside, firefighters also pulled down parts of the boundary wall to make space for hydraulic platforms and more than a dozen fire tenders that had reached the narrow lanes of Aliganj.

The incident has also prompted questions over how a commercial, box-like building was operating in a residential area. Officials of the Lucknow Development Authority are facing scrutiny over how a structure approved for residential use in a residential locality came to be used for commercial activities.