130 firemen fight major blaze at ISRO's facility: Quick facts

A major fire broke out in a major facility of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) at Gujarat's Ahmedabad city at around 1:15 pm on Thursday. The bustling complex of the ISRO is located in the middle of the city.

Quick facts:

• It took 130 firemen and around 25 fire trucks to battle the blaze, which had broken out at the Space Applications Centre (SAC).
• The fire control department said that it was only after they reached the spot that they realized that the blaze was major.
  "The fire-fighting operation began with seven vehicles but 24 vehicles were eventually engaged, due to the importance of the campus," The Times of India quoted an Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES) official as saying.
• The fire started inside a simulation lab located on the third and fourth floor of building 37.
• The flames were extinguished in one and a half hours, but it took the security personnel three and half hours to clear the smoke.
• Though the exact cause of the fire is not yet known, it is believed to have started from an electrical short-circuit.
• Dr Tapan Misra, Director the SAC said that the police will also investigate if there was foul play and sabotage involved in the mishap.
• "The immediate cause of the fire has not been identified and it will be confirmed only after an investigation by the competent authorities. The incident is not expected to affect projects and programmes of SAC/ISRO significantly," the facility said in its statement.

• Two Central Industrial Security Force personnel and two AFES personnel engaged in the firefighting were injured. The 30 to 40 ISRO scientists who work in the facility were safe
• Misra added that while the "antenna test facility" had caught fire and a few equipment was damaged, "no satellite payload" has been lost, reported NDTV.

• The facility specializes in making eminent components for India's satellites. Multiple parts of several satellites like Chandrayaan-2 were made at SAC.