He found love, earned a promotion and planned his wedding—then Lucknow fire killed the engaged couple

For 27-year-old Neelesh Kumar, life seemed to be falling into place. A recent promotion had brought with it a salary hike, and in a few months he was set to marry the woman he loved.

For 30-year-old Anamika Samant, the future looked just as promising. Her parents had travelled from West Bengal only days earlier to meet her future in-laws, marking the beginning of wedding preparations and a new chapter in her life, according to PTI.

But those dreams were shattered on Monday when a devastating fire tore through a commercial building in Lucknow's Aliganj area, claiming the lives of the couple and at least 13 others.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire may have originated in the building's air-conditioning duct system.

The tragic fire claimed the lives of 15 individuals, including students, and left several others injured.

The building had received a demolition order in 2016 due to unauthorized construction, but the order was revoked less than two months later.

The lack of a proper emergency exit route significantly contributed to the high death toll, making evacuation extremely difficult.

Four building owners were arrested and four officials were suspended amid ongoing investigations and allegations of safety violations.

The blaze erupted in a three-storey building that housed an animation training centre where Neelesh and Anamika worked. Many of the victims, most of them students, were trapped on the second floor while classes were underway. Nine others were injured.

Neelesh and Anamika's story had begun at the very workplace where it ended. What started as a friendship between colleagues gradually blossomed into a relationship. Over time, their families embraced the match, and the couple began planning a future together.

Instead of celebrating their wedding, their loved ones are now mourning a future that never arrived.

Only days earlier, there had been celebrations, family meetings and plans for the months ahead.

"A small ceremony was performed at our house. We all met Anamika. She was a very jolly girl," Neelesh's brother Abhishek stated outside the post-mortem house, as per PTI.

The families had already begun planning the next stage of the celebrations. Neelesh's relatives had booked train tickets to travel to West Bengal the following week to meet Anamika's family and discuss wedding arrangements.

"The train tickets were booked, and preparations were underway for the journey," Abhishek said.