Iphone Factory Fire, Hundreds Of Employees Ingest Chemical Fumes
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – A major fire broke out at the Tata Electronics factory in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, India, on Saturday, (28/9/2024). This incident caused at least 10 people to receive medical treatment, with two of them being hospitalized.
Reporting from Reuters, the fire disrupted the production of iPhone components manufactured at the factory. This incident also adds to the long list of problems that have affected Apple’s supply chain in India in recent years.
The Tata Electronics factory is one of Apple’s main suppliers in India, along with Foxconn. The company is investigating the cause of the fire and is committed to taking the necessary steps to protect employees and stakeholders.
The fire broke out near another building in the Tata complex, which will begin producing complete iPhones in the next few months. The incident caused production to be temporarily halted until the situation was declared safe.
According to K.M. Sarayu, district administration official, the fire only occurred in one building and has been completely extinguished. However, due to chemical hazards, rescue teams have not been able to enter to conduct an assessment.
“Smoke is still coming out because it is a chemical hazard. It will take time for the search and rescue team to go in and assess. We will have to wait till tomorrow,” he said.
A total of 523 workers were on duty when the fire broke out in the morning, and all have been evacuated. Sarayu said they will now have to wait till tomorrow before further assessment can be carried out.
Savitri, an eyewitness who lives near the factory, said she heard a loud noise at around 5.30am that sounded like firecrackers. After that, she saw thick smoke that blanketed the area until at least 10am.
Tata Electronics said its emergency protocols had ensured the safety of all employees. Tata also added that they would take further steps to secure the facility and workers.
J. Saravanan, a senior official in charge of industrial safety in the district, said it was not clear when production would resume. An assessment team would have to go inside the factory first to understand the damage.
Industry sources said the fire was linked to chemicals stored in a particular area. It is unclear at this time whether other buildings in the area were also affected.
Apple has not commented officially on the incident. Last year, another Apple supplier, Foxlink, also halted production in Andhra Pradesh after a major fire caused part of a building to collapse.
SOURCE : CNBC INDONESIA
