Major fire at Serum Institute of India’s Manjri plant premises
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A significant fire erupted at an under-construction constructing of vaccine manufacturing main Serum Institute of India (SII)’s Manjri plant in Pune late afternoon on January 21.
According to prima facie stories, no casualties have been reported up to now. At least 9 individuals have been safely evacuated from the ground the place the blaze erupted, mentioned police authorities.
It is being investigated whether or not the trigger of the blaze was owing to a brief circuit or one thing else.
Pune Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta, who reached the spot, mentioned, “At 2:45 p.m., the SII got information of a fire that had erupted on the fourth-fifth floor of a building at their Manjri plant. No production was going on that floor. As per the SII, there is no problem or threat of fire whatsoever to their COVID-19 vaccine unit. Further investigations are underway.”
Mr. Gupta mentioned that the primary precedence was to get the blaze below management and verify if everybody was safely evacuated.
SII’s Manjri plant within the metropolis’s Hadapsar space homes the institute’s largest COVID-19 pandemic facility within the nation. As per sources, the unit manufacturing the Oxford-AstraZeneca ‘Covishield’ vaccine is protected.
At least 10-15 fire tenders have been rushed to the spot. The fire, whose trigger stays unknown as but, is predicted to be below management inside an hour, mentioned Fire division authorities.
Billowing plumes of smoke have been noticed from the stricken unit late afternoon right this moment, elevating issues of potential harm to the ‘Covishield’ manufacturing unit.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has directed Pune district administration authorities to hurry to the spot and convey the state of affairs below management. Mr. Pawar, who’s en route to Pune, has additionally directed a right away investigation into the trigger of the fire.
Rajendra Shingne, the Minister for Food and Drugs administration, whereas confirming the gravity of the fire, mentioned that the COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing unit was nonetheless protected.
“The fire appears to have broken out in the unit where SII’s bacille Calmette-Guerin [BCG] vaccine is being manufactured. The cause of the fire is not clear as yet and further details are awaited,” mentioned Mr. Shingne.
