5 killed in fire at two hotels near Lucknow Jn station

A fire broke out at two hotels in Charbagh near the Lucknow Junction railway station this morning, killing at least five people and critically injuring four, police said.

As many as 55 people, including the hotel staff, were rescued, a senior police official said.

The fire broke out at the adjacent hotels in Charbagh's Doodh Mandi area at 6 am, he said, adding there were around 60 people in the hotels at the time of the incident.

"Five people have died, while another four have been hospitalised with severe burn injuries. As many as 55 people, including staff of both the hotels, were rescued," Superintendent of Police (Lucknow West) Vikas Chand Tripathi told PTI.

"Around 15 fire tenders were pressed into service. The blaze has been extinguished, but there is still a lot of heat in the basement of the hotels. I visited a few burnt out rooms of the hotel to gauge the situation," he said.

About the cause of the fire, Tripathi said, "It seems that there was a short circuit."
"The chief minister has directed officials to ensure proper medical care for the injured," a spokesperson said, adding, "He has announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the family members of each of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 for each of the grievously injured."
Meanwhile, state Cabinet Minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who visited the incident site, said, "This is indeed a heart-wrenching incident. Its complete assessment is yet to be done."