Adar Poonawalla reassures Covishield production won't be affected, tweets 'no lives lost' in SII fire

Serum Institute of India CEO, Adar Poonawalla has said that there has been no loss of lives or major injuries due to the fire at SII's campus in Pune. Taking to twitter SII CEO tweeted, "Thank you everyone for your concern and prayers. So far the most important thing is that there have been no lives lost or major injuries due to the fire, despite a few floors being destroyed."

A major fire broke out at a building inside Terminal Gate 1 of the Serum Institute of India (SII) in Maharashtra's Pune on Thursday afternoon. The fire broke out at a plant of the Serum Institute in Manjri area of Pune. Efforts are on to put out the blaze and as many as 10 fire tenders have been rushed to the spot.

One team of the National Disaster Response Force has also been rushed to control the fire that broke out at around 2.45 pm. The cause of the fire at the Serum Institute plant is yet to be known.

SII CEO Adar Poonawalla has also reassured government and the public that there would be no loss of Covishield production. He also thanked the Pune police and Fire Department for their quick action. Poonawalla tweeted, "I would like to reassure all governments & the public that there would be no loss of #COVISHIELD production due to multiple production buildings that I had kept in reserve to deal with such contingencies at @SerumInstIndia. Thank you very much @PuneCityPolice & Fire Department."

Notably, the Serum Institute of India is the manufacturer of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine Covishield. The complex Manjari where the fire broke out, is reportedly a few minutes' drive from the facility where the coronavirus vaccines are produced. It is believed to be part of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

The fire broke out at an under-construction building at the Serum Institute's premises. Initially, four people were trapped inside of which three have been rescued, as per reports. Visuals showed thick smoke rising from the building.