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A preliminary probe into the Lucknow coaching centre fire that killed 15 people found major safety lapses, including a biometric entry gate that allegedly failed during the blaze, a single staircase serving as the only exit, & a locked rooftop door. Investigators are also examining whether the residential building was illegally converted into a coaching facility without adequate safety measures.

Lucknow:  An automatic biometric gate, a single staircase and the alleged commercial use of a residential building emerged as key factors behind the devastating coaching centre fire in Lucknow that killed 15 people, most of them students enrolled in gaming and animation courses.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the building had only one staircase serving as both the entry and exit route for students and staff. The main entrance was controlled through a biometric thumb-impression system. Survivors said the automated door stopped functioning after the fire broke out, trapping dozens of students on the upper floors as thick smoke rapidly engulfed the building.

The tragedy unfolded shortly after lunch when classes had resumed. Around 30 students and staff members were inside the premises when the fire erupted.

A student who escaped the blaze said the biometric access system became non-operational during the emergency, preventing those inside from opening the gate. With no secondary emergency exit and the rooftop access door also found locked, students were left with virtually no escape route.