Fire At Serum Institute In Pune, Vaccine Production Not Hit

A major fire has broken out at a building inside Terminal 1 gate of the Serum Institute of India in Maharashtra’s Pune. Thick clouds of smoke were seen billowing out of one of the buildings in the SII complex at Gopalpatti. The Serum Institute of India has been in news as the manufacturer of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine – Covishield. Sources added that the production of the vaccine will not be affected.

Fire breaks out at Serum Institute in Pune, 10 fire tenders rushed to spot

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As per news agency ANI, 10 fire tenders were engaged to bring the flames at the Serum Institute of India’s Manjari premises under control. Three of the four workers trapped inside have been rescued, however, one person still remains stuck in the building. Prima facie reason for the fire is suspected to be short circuit says Pune Collector Saurabh Rao.

Fire continues to rage at the fourth and fifth floors of SEZ3 building inside Terminal Gate 1 of #SerumInstituteofIndia in Pune. pic.twitter.com/v3bnao8NWr

— Megh Updates 🚨 (@MeghUpdates) January 21, 2021

The incident occurred at a facility where BCG was manufactured. No fire at Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing plant, Maharashtra food and drugs minister Rajendra Shingne tells CNN News18.

Adar Poonwala has issued a statement on Twitter,

Thank you everyone for your concern & prayers. So far the most important thing is that there've been no lives lost or major injuries due to fire, despite a few floors being destroyed: Adar Poonawalla, CEO-Owner, Serum Institute of India on incident of fire at SII's Manjri plant pic.twitter.com/MV6ImA1X7l

— ANI (@ANI) January 21, 2021

SII is manufacturing a vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca for India and many other low- and middle-income countries. It is ranked as India’s No 1 biotechnology company.

Also Read: COVID-19 Vaccine: SII’s Adar Poonawalla reveals cost of Covishield