Firefighters fought on Saturday to put out a fire that forced the closure of a significant Tata Electronics facility in southern India that produces parts for Apple’s iPhone.
Although no injuries were reported, it was not immediately apparent how much the incident in the vicinity of a building that will soon produce whole smartphones would affect the plant’s ability to operate in the Tamil Nadu city of Hosur.
In India, Tata Electronics and Foxconn are two of the biggest contract manufacturers of iPhones. The business said that it was looking into what started the fire and that it would take the required precautions to keep stakeholders and staff safe.
An regrettable fire event has occurred, according to a statement from a Tata Electronics representative. “All employees are safe at the plant thanks to our emergency protocols.”
One of the plant’s buildings collapsed due to the fire, but no one was hurt, according to a fire services official.
J. Saravanan, a senior district official in charge of industrial safety, stated, “We are unable to go inside now because the pathway is destroyed,” and that it would take a day for it to cool down.
He claimed that authorities were looking into the reason.
According to a person with firsthand knowledge of the situation, production was suspended and workers were sent early for the day due to the fire, which was described as chemical in nature.
Specific iPhone components were manufactured at the impacted facility, according to a second industry source with knowledge of the plant’s operations.
The insider did note that it was unclear if the incident had also impacted a nearby facility where smartphone manufacture was scheduled to begin by year’s end.
Apple refrain from commenting on the matter right away.
