18:53 (IST)
Anguished to learn about loss of lives in fire, tweets Harsh Vardhan
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said he was anguished to learn about the “unfortunate news of loss of lives due to the fire break out at Serum Insitute of India’s facility in Pune. He also appreciated the efforts of the Pune Polcie and the Fire Department to bring the fire under control.
Anguished to learn about the unfortunate news of loss of lives due to the fire break out at @SerumInstIndia‘s facility in Pune. My thoughts & prayers with the bereaved families.
Appreciate efforts of @PuneCityPolice & Fire Department to bring the fire under control.— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) January 21, 2021
18:49 (IST)
Fire in department that develops BCG vaccine, says Uddhav Thackeray
In a press conference on the fire at the Serum Insitute of India, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said “Reports says that the fire had not broken out in the section developing the COVID vaccine. The fire was in the department that develops the BCG vaccine. Now, the situation is under control.” Thackeray said that according to the preliminary information fire occurred due to an electric fault during the on-going construction works. ” The Fire Brigade personnels have worked on a war footing to bring the fire under control,” he added.
Six people who were caught in the fire have been rescued.
According to the preliminary information fire occurred due to an electric fault during the on-going construction works.
The Fire Brigade personnels have worked on a war footing to bring the fire under control. pic.twitter.com/uGvr5pff8o
— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) January 21, 2021
18:34 (IST)
Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol’s statement
Speaking to reporters, Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol confimed that five persons were killed in the fire which broke out on Thursday afternoon at the Serum Institute of India plant in the city.
The top floor of the under construction building was completely burnt down and five persons were found dead, says Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol. Follow Live Updates on #SerumInstituteFire : https://t.co/7RODRMRVBE
Video credits: News18 pic.twitter.com/YiRpvtVNXv
— Firstpost (@firstpost) January 21, 2021
18:26 (IST)
Five bodies recovered, say fire officials
Five charred bodies were recovered from Serum Institute of India building where fire broke out in afternoon, confirm fire officials.
PTI
18:10 (IST)
Deeply saddened, tweets Adar Poonawalla
We have just received some distressing updates; upon further investigation we have learnt that there has unfortunately been some loss of life at the incident. We are deeply saddened and offer our deepest condolences to the family members of the departed.
— Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) January 21, 2021
18:04 (IST)
Five dead in blaze, says Rajesh Tope
As per The HIndu, Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said five persons have lost their lives in the fire which erupted at SII’s Pune plant. Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol told News-18 Lokmat said the entire sixth floor of the building burnt down and when asked if the deceased were labourers, he said there was a possibility but added that confirmation was awaited. Both said that the fire has been borught under control
17:40 (IST)
Fire under control, says Pune’s Chief Fire Officer
As per reports, the fire at SII’s facility in Pune’s Manjari area has been brought under control and cooling operations are underway. Prashant Ranpise, the Chief Fire Officer with Pune City Fire Brigade told the Indian Express that the fire was brought under control at 4.15 pm. “Cooling operation, in which water is used to reduce the increased temperature of the premises, is currently on,” he said, adding that a total of nine people who were trapped have been rescued.
17:25 (IST)
Adar Poonawalla says ‘no loss’ of Covishield doses in fire
SII CEO Adar Poonawalla said that there would be “no loss” of the production of Covishield vaccine doses in the fire that broke out at the facility on Thursday.
I would like to reassure all governments & the public that there would be no loss of #COVISHIELD production due to multiple production buildings that I had kept in reserve to deal with such contingencies at @SerumInstIndia. Thank you very much @PuneCityPolice & Fire Department
— Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) January 21, 2021
17:14 (IST)
Maharashtra govt orders probe into SII fire
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.
17:02 (IST)
Fire cause of concern but Covishield production unlikely to be impacted, says Dy CM
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.
16:47 (IST)
No casualties or major injuries, says Adar Poonawalla
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
16:36 (IST)
Ten fire tenders deployed, says fire brigade official
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.
16:20 (IST)
Uddhav Thackeray in touch with Pune Municipal Commissioner
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
16:10 (IST)
Three evacuated so far
16:10 (IST)
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
15:58 (IST)
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.
Fire at Serum Institute Pune Latest Updates:Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said he was anguished to learn about the “unfortunate news of loss of lives due to the fire break out at Serum Insitute of India’s facility in Pune. He also appreciated the efforts of the Pune Polcie and the Fire Department to bring the fire under control.
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, in a presser following fire at SII’s Pune plant, said that six people have been rescued so far and fire brigade officials worked on a war footing. Thackeray said that according to according to the preliminary information fire occurred due to an electric fault during the on-going construction work.
Speaking to reporters, Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol confimed that five persons were killed in the fire which broke out on Thursday afternoon at the Serum Institute of India plant in the city.
SII CEO Adar Poonawalla said that there would be “no loss” of the production of Covishield vaccine doses in the fire that broke out at the facility on Thursday.
As per The Hindu, Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said five persons have lost their lives in the fire which erupted at SII’s Pune plant. SII CEO Adar Poonawalla also confirmed that some deaths had been reported but did not give a clear number. Poonawalla said that upon further investigation it was found that there has “unfortunately been some loss of life” and offered condolences to families of the deceased.
Meanwhile Prashant Ranpise, the Chief Fire Officer with Pune City Fire Brigade, said the fire has been brought under control and cooling operations are underway.
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.
A fire broke out at the Serum Institute of India’s Manjari plant in Pune on Thursday afternoon, as per several media reports.
“The fire broke in a building in the premises. We have sent water tenders to the spot,” PTI quoted a fire brigade official as saying.
#UPDATE Maharashtra: Fire continues to rage at the fourth and fifth floors of SEZ3 building inside Terminal Gate 1 of Serum Institute of India in Pune. More details awaited. https://t.co/WF2jVeJejj
— ANI (@ANI) January 21, 2021
As per the news agency, the Manjari facility is where Covishield vaccine, used in the nationwide inoculation drive against the coronavirus
pandemic, is made.
However, a Hindustan Times report quoted SII executive director Dr Suresh Jadhav as saying that the fire broke out at a facility where work related to the BCG vaccine-related was underway and the facility where Covishield, the COVID-19 vaccine, is manufactured and stored is located at a distance from this facility.
A fire brigade official told the Indian Express that the fire broke out the second floor of a new building at the campus. An official who is supervising the rescue operation told the newspaper that four people were stuck when the blaze intensified and three of them have been evacuated. “Efforts are on to safely evacuate the fourth person,” said the officer who is supervising the rescue operation.
India has approved two vaccines – Covaxin developed by Bharat Biotech and Oxford/AstraZeneca’s Covishield being manufactured by SII.
With inputs from PTI