Overview
- The Vikas Nagar blaze, which erupted Wednesday evening, killed two young children and destroyed roughly 200 to 280 huts in Lucknow.
- Following Thursday’s separate fire in Kanawani near Indirapuram, about 150 to 200 shanties and dozens of scrap depots were gutted with no reported injuries.
- Police in Lucknow said Saturday they are reviewing CCTV footage, recording eyewitness accounts, and verifying claims that the fire was deliberate or accidental, with two social media handles booked for spreading rumours.
- Residents report an hour-long wait for fire tenders, while officials cite a deployment of around 22 to 25 engines and say exploding LPG cylinders helped flames race through plastic and tarpaulin homes.
- Hundreds of migrant families are now displaced, many without identity papers or savings, as volunteers provide food and tarps and officials conduct a high-level inquiry and fire audit that could tighten rules on LPG storage and nearby scrap yards.