Short circuit caused fire at SII, says Deputy CM Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said the fire at the Serum Institute of India (SII) campus on January 21, in which five people were killed, was due to a short circuit and there was no foul play.

Five workers were killed after a major fire engulfed the fourth and fifth floors of an under-construction building in Serum Institute’s 100-acre Manjari campus in the SEZ area in Pune. The fire, however, did not affect the production of Covid-19 vaccine Covishield. The five workers were carrying out welding and air-conditioning work at the building.

At least 10 fire officers and over 70 personnel, including those from National Disaster Response Force, were involved in the fire-fighting operation.

Chief Fire Officer Prashant Ranpise said the fire gutted furniture, wiring and cabins on the fourth, fifth and six floors. Serum Institute’s CEO Adar Poonawalla has said that the company suffered a loss of of more than Rs 1,000 crore due to the blaze.