Major fire breaks out at Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre; estimated loss around Rs 150 crore

Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre (a Government of Karnataka undertaking) in Electronics City

A major fire broke out at the Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre in Electronics City, on January 14, causing extensive damage estimated at around Rs 150 crore.

Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre, a Karnataka government-owned research and development centre dedicated to the life sciences ecosystem, which serves as a hub for startups.

Preliminary estimates say that losses incurred by startups range from Rs 80 crore to Rs 110 crore, while damage to BBC properties is pegged at around Rs 42 crore.

No injuries have been reported so far.

Karnataka IT-BT minister Priyank Kharge visited the spot. The fire started at around 4:35 am in the Galore Tx startup lab (Room ESF07) on the second floor, reportedly due to the improper handling of flammable solvents in the lab.

“All BBC startups were previously instructed not to store or use large volumes of inflammable chemicals in their labs. A separate open storage area had been provided for this purpose. The second floor, which was recently revamped to accommodate more startups, was severely impacted,” said a statement from the IT-BT department.

The second floor was completely gutted, while the first and ground floors sustained extensive damage due to interconnected HVAC lines. Common infrastructure at the BBC, including the Bangalore Bio Bank, cleanroom facilities, flow cytometry equipment, HVAC units, air conditioning units, and more, suffered significant damage.

Several startups also reported severe losses to their equipment, consumables, and intellectual property. Startups gravely affected include Fermbox (four labs), Phyxx 44 (three labs), Ajitha Prodrug (one lab), Galore Tx (one lab), Ikesia (one lab), Immunitas (two labs), and Yokogawa (one lab). Other affected startups include Atrimed Pharma, 4basecare, Anabio, Anava Bio, Pandorium, Oxonexe, Presude Lifesciences, Zhichu, among others, the statement added.