Dec scare lingers with survivors of fire tragedy

Lucknow: Survivors and early escapers of Monday’s Aliganj fire that killed 15 people said a minor fire scare had occurred in the same building in Dec last year.The earlier incident was also linked to a short-circuit in the signboard of a pet clinic in the two-storey structure.

According to those present at that moment, smoke had spread during the Dec incident also, triggering panic among occupants who rushed out.

The situation was brought under control quickly and no injuries or major damage were reported. However, workers said no lasting corrective steps followed.Marzena, the building’s sweeper and first informant of the Monday fire, recalled the moment. “We saw smoke coming from the signboard and people got scared, but it was controlled quickly.

If proper action had been taken then, this could have been avoided. Now, 15 young lives are gone,” she said.Shailendra, an employee at the gaming studio and a survivor, said the earlier scare now feels like a missed warning. “We had seen a sign months ago. It looked small then, but it showed something was wrong. No one imagined it would become this big. Everything feels empty now, I have lost my colleagues,” he said.Vibhu Kumar, a staff member at the pet clinic and an early escaper, said the Dec incident was treated as routine.

“It was considered an electrical fault. The wiring was not thoroughly checked after that,” he said.Priya Kumari, who works at a veterinary medical shop and was also an early escaper, said the fear had briefly lingered before being forgotten. “People were scared then too. The building was evacuated and people came down easily. It was just smoke and small flames. Now it feels like that moment was trying to tell us something,” she said.