A fire broke out on June 22, 2026, in a three-storey commercial building in the Aliganj area of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India [1, 2, 3]. The building housed an animation training center, a veterinary clinic, a library, and offices [2, 3, 4].

At least 14 to 15 people died in the blaze, most of whom were students attending the animation center [1, 2, 5, 3, 4, 6, 7]. Officials reported slight disagreement on the death toll, with some sources citing 14 fatalities and others 15 [1, 2, 5, 3]. About 21 students were inside when the fire started; several survivors were seriously injured or in stable condition [2, 4, 6].

The fire possibly originated from an electrical short circuit or the air conditioning duct system, though officials said the cause remains under investigation [2, 3, 7]. Brajesh Pathak, Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, said, "Fourteen children from happy families were killed in the incident. The cause of the fire is still under investigation" [3].

Firefighters and multiple emergency teams arrived promptly but rescue efforts were hampered by dense smoke. Rescuers had to break walls to reach trapped victims [1, 3, 7]. Some people escaped by jumping from windows or sliding down wires; although some survived, a few died from the falls [5, 3, 7].

Besides humans, animals trapped in the pet clinic on the ground floor and basement were rescued, though some dogs and cats were feared dead [7]. A father of a victim said, "My child called me crying 'Daddy, it's on fire! Please help me!' but we could not reach him in time" [7].

There were inadequate fire escape routes or emergency exits inside the building [7]. Mohammad Asin, an animation studio employee, recalled, "At first we thought it was a small fire. By the time we tried to leave, smoke had filled the rooms and passageways" [3].

The Indian government announced compensation of 200,000 rupees (about 2700 SGD) to families of the deceased and aid to the injured. Additional compensation amounts reported include 500,000 rupees (~170,000 NTD) per deceased family and 50,000 rupees (~17,000 NTD) for injured persons [1, 7].

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to the victims' families [1, 7]. Rescue and investigation operations continued after the fire was brought under control later on June 22 [1, 3, 7].