A devastating fire tore through the Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre (BBC), a government-run facility, early Tuesday morning, destroying over 120 advanced laboratories and causing losses exceeding ₹150 crore, officials reported. Fortunately, no casualties occurred.

BBC serves as a cutting-edge research and entrepreneurship hub for life science start-ups. A security guard discovered the fire around 4:35 a.m. on the second floor and promptly alerted fire services. Firefighters battled the inferno for five hours using three fire tenders to bring it under control.

Preliminary investigations suggest the fire stemmed from either a chemical reaction or an electrical short circuit. Ethanol, extensively used in experiments, is suspected to have played a role, a police officer noted. The IT/BT department later confirmed that improper handling of flammable solvents in a start-up lab triggered the incident.

The disaster severely impacted infrastructure, including cleanrooms, HVAC systems, and the Bangalore Bio Bank. The second floor was entirely gutted, while the ground and first floors suffered significant damage due to interconnected ventilation systems.

Several start-ups, including Fermbox, Phyxx 44, and Galore Tx, lost valuable equipment and research material. A department press release highlighted prior warnings to start-ups about storing large quantities of hazardous chemicals outside designated areas.

IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge, scheduled to inaugurate a lab that day, canceled the event and visited the site to assess the damage.

The incident underscores the critical need for stringent lab safety protocols.