A massive fire has broken out at a plant of Serum Institute of India in Manjri area of Pune. Eight fire tenders are on the spot. As per initial reports, no person is trapped inside the under-construction building.
The under-construction building is adjacent to the plant where Covishield is being produced.
Thick clouds of smoke could be seen billowing out of one of the buildings in the SII complex at Gopalpatti, though company officials remained tightlipped on the development.
At least 8 fire-tenders from Pune Fire Brigade rushed to the site and were battling the blaze, the cause of which is not clear.
Where exactly did the fire occur in Pune's SII
The complex also named Manjari, which caught fire is a few minutes drive from the facility where the vaccines are produced. About eight-nine buildings are being constructed at the Manjari complex to deal with the future pandemics, aimed to enhance the SII's manufacturing capability.
As per reports, a fire official said, "There were four people inside the building. We have rescued three so far although large smoke is hampering the work of bringing the fire in control," a fire official said.
At least 8 fire-tenders from Pune Fire Brigade rushed to the site and were battling the blaze, the cause of which is not clear.
We are looking out to save our people first: Adar Poonawala reacts
In his first reaction after the fire, the CEO of Serum Institute of India, Adar Poonawalla said, "We are focusing on rescuing people stuck I don't care about anything else. We are looking out to save our people first then we will assess the damage."