Cipla pharma lab gutted in Baddi indl area

Tribune News Service

Solan, November 17

Quality Control (QC) section of Cipla Pharmaceutical unit at Malpur in the Baddi industrial area caught fire this morning causing losses worth crores. No loss of life was, however, reported as the unit was not operational at the time when the fire suddenly broke out.

The fire was noticed by the security guards who saw smoke emanating from the closed QC section of the unit-II. They immediately pressed the in-house fire extinguishers into service. The security guards then informed the fire tenders which arrived around 8 am.

The fire was brought under control within half an hour though it took two hours to rid the entire QC area completely of the fire.

Firemen had to break open glasses to bring the fire under control and ensure release of smoke which had filled the QC area. Adequate water availability in the unit helped in swift fire fighting operation.

The quality control section housed high-end machinery like 18 HPCL machines and other such equipments worth crores. Located on the first floor the affected section which catered to unit-II was not operational for the last six months and this averted any loss of human life.

Plant Head Kishore Pathak said the actual loss would be estimated by the surveyor tomorrow while initial estimates have put the loss at several crores. He said elaborate in-house fire-fighting paraphernalia came in handy in controlling the fire within a short time.