Five dead in fire at Serum Institute of India

Sources close to SII say that vaccine production has not been affected

Five people were killed after a fire broke out at a facility of the Serum Institute of India (SII) in Pune on Thursday.

The Covishield vaccine facility is safe as the fire incident happened at a multi-storeyed building in Manjri, which is near the vaccine production unit. The main SII complex is in Hinjewadi.

SII Chairman Cyrus Poonawalla said the fire broke out at an under-installation facility of the company. The complex was being ramped up for BCG vaccine production.

After the news of death came to light, Adar Poonawalla tweeted his condolences. The SII CEO earlier said "no lives lost or major injuries due to the fire, despite a few floors being destroyed."

"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," he tweeted.

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He also said he would like to reassure the government and public there will be be no loss of Covishield production as multiple production buildings are kept in reserve to deal with such contingencies.

All the victims are suspected to be construction workers. The company announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the families of the victims.

Maharashtra govt orders probe into fire at Serum unit

The Maharashtra government has ordered a probe into the fire which broke out at a facility of the Serum Institute of India (SII) in Pune on Thursday.

The blaze, which killed five people, was brought under control by evening. The cooling operations are underway. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar are monitoring the developments.

"A few floors were destroyed in the fire," SII Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla said, adding that the news of people losing lives was distressing.

A dozen fire tenders and water tankers were rushed for fire-fighting operations, while the disaster response force was activated by the government. Six persons were evacuated from the building.

While a probe is on to ascertain the cause of fire, initial reports suggested an electrical issue.

"The Covishield vaccine facility is safe. The priority now is to control the damage," said Pawar, the Guardian Minister of Pune district.

Thackeray and Pawar also spoke to Pune's Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta, Collector Rajesh Deshmukh and Municipal Commissioner Vikram Kumar to review the situation.

Thackeray said that he has been informed that the Covishield manufacturing facility is safe.

According to Gupta, the SII received a confirmation of the fire at 2:45 pm. "The fire broke out in the fourth and fifth floor," he said. "The cause of fire is yet to be ascertained," said Pune Municipal Corporation chief fire officer Prashant Ranpisecity.

Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol said that efforts are underway to control the fire.