Fire at animation studio in India’s Lucknow kills at least 14

play Live Sign upShow navigation menu.css-15ru6p1{font-size:inherit;font-weight:normal;}Navigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificWorld CupMiddle EastExplainedOpinionVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomySportHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelSponsored Contentplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNavigation menucaret-leftTrendingUS-Israel war on IranWorld Cup 2026Tracking Israel's ceasefire violationsRussia-Ukraine warDonald Trumpcaret-rightNewsFire at animation studio in India’s Lucknow kills at least 14The blaze broke out in a commerical building with a library and animation studio, killling mostly college students. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoFirefighters work to douse the fire at an institute for college students in Lucknow, June 22, 2026. [AFP]By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and The Associated PressPublished On 22 Jun 202622 Jun 2026A fire at a college building in the Indian city of Lucknow has killed at least 14 people, most of them students. The blaze broke out on Monday in a three-storey commercial building in the northern Indian city. The building hosted a library and animation studio for college students on one floor, and a veterinary clinic on another. The fire started on the middle floor of the three-storey building, located in a residential neighbourhood in the capital city of northern Uttar Pradesh state. Some reports said at least 14 people were killed, while others reported 15 casualties. “Fourteen children from happy families were killed in the incident,” the state’s deputy chief minister, Brajesh Pathak, told reporters, adding that four others were injured. The cause of the fire was not immediately known, nor was it clear if all the dead were students. Social media videos showed people climbing out of broken windows. One video appeared to show a man falling from an upper floor while trying to escape. Local media said he survived and was taken to hospital. Firefighters had to force their way into the building by breaking through a wall after dense smoke hindered rescue efforts, officials said. Exhaust fans were reportedly brought in to clear the smoke while emergency crews searched rooms for survivors. Mohammad Asin, an employee at the animation studio, told Associated Press that workers had just returned from lunch when they were alerted. “At first we thought it was a small fire. By the time we tried to leave, smoke had filled the rooms and passageways,” he said. Building fires are common in India due to frequent disregard for safety regulations and a lack of firefighting equipment. Electrical short circuits, often caused by badly maintained wiring, remain the leading cause of fire incidents in India. Advertisement AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: