Major fire at Bengaluru Bioinnovation Centre destroys over 120 labs, loss estimated at Rs 150 crore

A massive fire broke out at the government-run Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre (BBC) on Tuesday, destroying over 120 laboratories and causing an estimated loss of Rs 150 crore, the police said. No casualties have been reported.

Preliminary investigations suggest the fire at BBC, described as a cutting-edge research and entrepreneurship hub for life science start-ups, was triggered by either a chemical reaction or a short circuit. “Most labs in the facility used ethanol for experiments. We suspect the fire may have been caused by its overreaction,” said a police officer.

The blaze completely destroyed the second floor, with extensive damage to the first and ground floors via interconnected HVAC systems. Vital infrastructure, including the Bangalore Bio Bank, cleanroom facilities, and flow cytometry equipment, suffered severe damage, the police said.

The fire was first spotted on the second floor of BBC by a security guard around 4.35 pm. 

Three fire tenders battled the flames for over five hours before successfully extinguishing them, the police said.

Karnataka Information Technology and Bio Technology Minister Priyank Kharge, who was scheduled to inaugurate a new lab at the facility later in the day, visited the site to assess the damage.

According to a statement by the Department of IT and BT, the fire originated in Galore TX’s lab on the second floor due to improper handling of flammable solvents. “All BBC startups were previously advised against storing large volumes of flammable chemicals in their labs, and a dedicated open storage area was provided for such materials,” the statement read.

Among the affected start-ups were Fermbox (3 labs), Phyxx 44 (3 labs), Ajitha Prodrug (1 lab), Galore TX (1 lab), Ikesia (1 lab), Immunitas (2 labs), and Yokogawa (1 lab). Additional start-ups impacted included Atrimed Pharma, 4basecare, Anabio, Anava Bio, Pandorium, Oxonexe Presude Lifesciences, and Zhichu.

A researcher reportedly lost cancer cells worth Rs 12 crore, a critical part of her work, in the fire. 

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