India, June 23 -- LUCKNOW A quirk in the building bylaws meant the Aliganj building, which was engulfed by fire on Monday, was exempt from obtaining a fire no-objection certificate (NoC) - a factor now under scrutiny as questions mount over safety measures in the structure.

According to fire department officials, the G+3 building stood below the 15-metre threshold prescribed under building bylaws for mandatory fire clearance. As a result, despite housing commercial establishments and offices for nearly a decade, it never required a fire NoC and was never inspected from that perspective.

Ironically, the very height that exempted the building from stricter fire safety regulations may have contributed to the circumstances that turned it in...