Lucknow fire: Building facing demolition order becomes death trap for 18

Authorities have identified 15 of the 18 people who died in the devastating fire that swept through a commercial building in Lucknow's Aliganj area, even as investigations revealed that the structure had once faced a demolition order over unauthorised construction.

Officials said the victims identified so far include Shahjan, Sukhmani Singh, Aditya Srivastava, Jwanil Chakraborty, Sagar Pant, Nilesh, Sayyam, Bhavishya, Jyoti, Abdul Rahman, Anamika Samant, Suraj Singh, Md Ammar and Teejraj, all residents of Lucknow, along with Somalya from South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal. Most of those who died were reportedly between 20 and 24 years old. Authorities said the families of the victims have been informed.

Two injured persons, identified as Lavpreet and Jayant, are undergoing treatment at King George's Medical University.

The fire broke out on Monday in a three-storey commercial building near Purania Chauraha in Sector D of Aliganj. According to investigators, the blaze rapidly filled the structure with thick smoke, trapping occupants inside. Several animals housed in a pet shop operating from the building also died.

Police have registered a case against six named individuals and others in connection with the incident. Four accused, including building owners Virendra Pratap Shukla and Tushank Krishna Jaiswal, pet shop owner Ramkrishna Upadhyay and studio operator Suresh Kumar Sahu, have been arrested.

The FIR alleges serious violations of fire safety norms, claiming the building lacked basic firefighting equipment, emergency evacuation arrangements and a smoke ventilation system. Investigators also found that the structure had only a single entry and exit point and that electrical installations were allegedly maintained in an unsafe manner.

As the investigation progressed, fresh details emerged about the building's history. According to a statement issued by the Uttar Pradesh government, the property was originally allotted in 1980 under a hire-purchase scheme and later changed hands several times before being acquired by Virendra Pratap Shukla and Surendra Pratap Shukla in 2013.

The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) approved the property for residential use in 2014 under a self-certification building plan scheme. However, unauthorised construction was later detected, prompting the LDA to initiate proceedings against the owner.

Following an inquiry, a demolition order was issued on 10 May 2016. The order was revoked less than two months later, on 5 July 2016, a development that is now drawing scrutiny as investigators examine the circumstances under which the building continued to operate.

Uttar Pradesh Urban Development and Energy Minister A.K. Sharma said preliminary findings suggest the fire may have originated in an air-conditioning duct. He said smoke inhalation and suffocation appear to have been the primary causes of death, worsened by the absence of adequate escape routes. He added that potential violations of building regulations and safety standards would be thoroughly investigated.

Rescue operations continued for several hours after the blaze erupted. Firefighters and emergency personnel were forced to access the building through an adjoining structure, while a hole was created in a wall to facilitate the evacuation of victims and the movement of stretchers.

The building housed a pet shop and clinic on the lower floors, a gaming zone and animation centre on the second floor, and an IT networking office on the upper floor. Investigators are now examining whether the property's commercial use, structural modifications and alleged disregard for safety norms contributed to one of Lucknow's deadliest fire tragedies in recent years.

With agency inputs