Fire Risks in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plants That Safety Officers Underestimate

On June 30, 2025, a fire broke out at the Sigachi Industries pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Telangana. By the following day, at least 39 workers were confirmed dead. More than 140 workers were present when the incident occurred. The plant, which produced microcrystalline cellulose for pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic applications, was shut for 90 days.

Investigators found the likely cause to be a dust explosion — fine combustible powder accumulating in factory spaces. Microcrystalline cellulose, despite not being chemically hazardous, is combustible in fine powder form. A spark or heat source in the spray dryer unit was sufficient to trigger an event that killed dozens.

This incident is not an outlier. It is an example of the fire risks that exist in pharmaceutical manufacturing and are consistently underestimated by safety officers who focus on chemical hazards while overlooking physical fire risks inherent in the manufacturing process itself.

The Fire Risks Specific to Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

Solvent storage and handling Pharmaceutical manufacturing uses a wide range of organic solvents — ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, acetone, methanol, and others — for synthesis, extraction, and cleaning. These are Class B flammable liquids with low flash points. Solvent storage rooms and dispensing areas carry a persistent, high-level fire risk that requires both correct extinguisher specification and ventilation design.

Combustible dust As the Sigachi incident demonstrated, fine powder materials used in pharmaceutical processing — cellulose, starch, lactose, and other excipients — can generate combustible dust clouds in processing hydrant accessories and factory spaces. Standard fire safety planning does not always account for this risk, which requires specific dust explosion prevention measures beyond standard fire extinguisher coverage.

Electrical fire risk in processing equipment Pharmaceutical processing equipment — reactors, dryers, granulators, tablet presses — carries significant electrical fire risk, particularly where equipment is old or poorly maintained. Electrical rooms and equipment control panels in pharmaceutical plants require dedicated CO2 or clean agent suppression.

Cleanroom environments Pharmaceutical cleanrooms contain sensitive analytical equipment, computers, and environmental control systems that cannot be exposed to powder, foam, or water. A clean agent fire extinguisher is the only appropriate first-response tool for fire in a cleanroom environment.

What Pharmaceutical Plant Fire Safety Plans Often Miss

Standard fire safety planning for pharma facilities — a portable extinguisher on every floor, a hydrant system in the building — addresses general fire risk adequately. It does not address:

• Dedicated suppression for solvent storage and dispensing areas (Class B risk requiring foam or DCP trolleys)

• Clean agent coverage for cleanrooms and analytical labs

• Dust explosion prevention in spray dryer and powder processing areas

• Emergency response training specific to solvent fires — where evacuation and gas shutoff take priority over extinguisher use

A clean agent portable fire extinguisher in a pharmaceutical lab or cleanroom is not an upgrade — it is the correct specification for that environment. ABC powder in the same location is a specification error that destroys the room's equipment if ever used.

For large-scale suppression in solvent storage areas and outdoor processing zones, a trolley mounted fire extinguisher — foam trolley for Class B liquid fires, DCP trolley for general industrial risk — provides the discharge capacity that a portable unit cannot.

What a Pharmaceutical Plant Fire Safety Audit Should Include

Beyond the standard NBC compliance checklist, a pharma plant audit should verify:

• Solvent storage area has dedicated Class B suppression — not general-purpose ABC powder

• All cleanrooms and analytical labs have clean agent extinguishers

• Spray dryers and powder processing equipment have dust explosion prevention measures reviewed by a specialist

• Electrical rooms and equipment control panels have CO2 or clean agent coverage

• Staff have been trained on solvent fire response — including the priority of gas/solvent shutoff before extinguisher use

The Sigachi incident is a reminder that industrial fire safety in India's pharmaceutical sector needs to go beyond compliance checkboxes. The risks are specific, the consequences are severe, and the gap between a standard compliance setup and genuine fire protection is real.