As the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Tuesday began probing Monday’s devastating fire in Lucknow that claimed 15 lives, officials in the Fire Services Department, which along with the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) and the Electricity Department is under scanner, sought to distance themselves from the responsibility for the tragedy.The state government has already indicated that it holds the three departments accountable for lapses, suspending a fire service officer (FSO), an executive engineer of the Electricity Department and two LDA engineers within hours of the incident.Among the three departments, the Fire Services Department is expected to face the toughest scrutiny as the tragedy involved a major fire.A senior Fire Department official, when contacted, said the building did not exist in the department’s records and therefore the Fire Services had no knowledge that commercial activities were being carried out there.The official said the building owners never approached the local fire station or the office of the chief fire officer (CFO) over the past 13 years for a fire no objection certificate (NOC). The present owners, who were arrested on Monday, had purchased the property in 2013 as a residential building and never got its land use converted for commercial purposes, he claimed.The official cited the National Building Code (NBC) 2016, claiming that residential or commercial buildings up to 15 metres in height and with a built-up area of up to 500 square metres do not require a fire NOC. The building where the fire occurred is around 12 metres high and has a built-up area of about 185 square metres, he said.He further claimed that the NBC 2026 norms have raised the exemption limit, stating that buildings up to 24 metres no longer require a fire NOC.Story continues below this adAccording to the official, the Fire Department initiates the process of issuing a fire NOC or conducting a fire audit only when the building owner approaches the department or when the building exceeds the prescribed height limit.How the fire broke out as per Fire DeptAccording to the department’s preliminary investigation, the fire originated on the first floor after a split AC outdoor unit installed beside the staircase allegedly exploded. The official said outdoor units of all the air conditioners installed in the building had been placed along the staircase.The establishments on different floors had thick glass enclosures which shattered following the blast, intensifying the fire, the department claimed.The official further alleged that while the building had an approved electricity load of 20 kW, around 40 kW was being used, which appeared to have triggered the fire.Story continues below this adAccording to the department, the Dial 112 emergency helpline received the fire call at 2.27 pm and the first fire tender reached the spot at 2.46 pm. The Chief Fire Officer, accompanied by 10 firefighters, entered the building using the fire tender’s hydraulic ladder at 2.55 pm.Rescue teams later broke openings in the rear wall of the building as dense smoke had engulfed all the floors.Responding to questions over the suspension of Indira Nagar Fire Station Officer Kamlendra Kumar Singh, the official said Singh was suspended for allegedly failing to conduct surveys of commercial establishments operating without mandatory fire safety measures.Suspended FSO blames CFO, seeks revocation of actionSuspended Fire Station Officer Kamlendra Kumar Singh on Tuesday released a video statement in which he read out a letter addressed to the Chief Minister.Story continues below this adSingh claimed that suspending a lower-rung officer like him was unjust as his responsibilities were limited to local inspections and submitting reports. He maintained that he neither had the authority to issue clearances nor to enforce fire safety compliance at a higher level, powers which, he said, rest with the Chief Fire Officer.He further argued that the fact that a residential building was being used commercially should have been within the knowledge of the CFO.In the video, Singh also alleged that delays in the Fire Department’s response and poor coordination reflected negligence on the part of the CFO. He urged the government to revoke the action against him and instead initiate strict departmental as well as legal proceedings against the Chief Fire Officer.While the CFO did not respond to repeated calls by to The Indian Express seeking his response, Singh declined to speak beyond his video statement.