Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has directed Pune authorities to conduct an in-depth probe of the fire that broke out at the Serum Institute of India (SII) on Thursday. CNN-News18 reported that the investigative team is likely to be headed by the Pune district collector.
The report also said that the fire has attracted international attention since the SII is manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines for companies around the world.
As per reports, Maharashtra Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar is going to Pune to take stock of the situation. According to the New Indian Express, Pawar who is the guardian minister of Pune district, said that the fire at SII is cause of concern but added that he was told that the production of Covishield is not likely to be affected. “The inquiry of this incident will be done. Right now, we have to control the spread of fire,” the report quoted him as aying.
Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla tweeted” So far the most important thing is that there have been no lives lost or major injuries due to the fire, despite a few floors being destroyed.” He also thanked everyone for their prayers and concerns. A fire had broken out the Serum Insitute of India on Thursday afternoon and officials said three persons have been evacuated so far.
Thank you everyone for your concern and prayers. So far the most important thing is that there have been no lives lost or major injuries due to the fire, despite a few floors being destroyed.– Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) January 21, 2021
Prashant Ranpise, the Chief Fire Officer with Pune City Fire Brigade told The Indian Express that the fire call was received around 2.30 and the details about the nature of fire, the extent of damage or the cause are not yet known.
“Because there is a lot of smoke emanating from the affected area, it becomes difficult to locate the source of the fire and bring it under control. We have now deployed a total 10 fire tenders, a hydraulic lift and other equipment,” the official said. Ranpise added that search was also on to check whether any more people are trapped.
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is in touch with the Pune Municipal Commissioner and is taking complete on-ground updates. He has directed the state machinery to coordinate and ensure that the situation is under control, tweeted the Chief Minister’s Office.
CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray is in touch with the Pune Municipal Commissioner and is taking complete on-ground updates. He has directed the state machinery to coordinate and ensure that the situation is under control. https://t.co/NlcVtf33TG— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) January 21, 2021
Three persons were evacuated from a building in the premises after a fire broke out there on Thursday, PTI quotes police as saying. Deputy Commissioner of Police Namrata Patil told PTI the fire broke out at 2.45 pm on the fourth and fifth floor of the SEZ 3 building in the Serum Institute premises.”As per the primary information, three people have been evacuated,” she said.
Fire broke out at under-construction building in Manjari
As per the latest information, the blaze has occured at an under-contruction building of the SII in Manjari area of Pune. The fourth and fifth floors of SEZ3 building inside Terminal Gate 1 of Serum Institute of India is affected by the fire.
Watch | A fire broke out today at the #SerumInstituteofIndia in Pune at a facility, which is under construction. Massive efforts are on to put out the blaze. NDTV’s Purva Chitnis reports pic.twitter.com/0gCUAoH5wN— NDTV Videos (@ndtvvideos) January 21, 2021
Fire breaks out at Serum Institute of India’s Pune facility
A major fire broke out at the Serum Institute of India’s Pune facility on Thursday, reports said. At least 10 fire tenders have been rushed to the spot. SII has been in news recently because it is one of the two vaccine manufacturers for the COVID-19 pandemic, whose product is in circulation under the ongoing inoculation drive. The vaccine manufacturing facility is also in the same premise, reportedly.
This is a developing story. Watch this space for latest updates.