An iPhone assembly plant in Chennai, India, has not resumed production for the third day after a fire broke out at the factory, and may not be able to start work at all this week. On Sunday, Pegatron stopped production on its iPhone production line after a "fire incident" occurred at its factory in Chennai. At the time, the shutdown was described as temporary, but it is now in its third day.
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According to Reuters, Pegatron called the fire a "sparking accident" that caused no casualties and did not have any "financial or operational impact" on the company. As a precaution, Pegatron has canceled shifts scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.
Four sources with knowledge of the situation told this reporter that there may not be a shift change on Wednesday either. Damage to the factory is being repaired and may shut down production for a week.
Independent surveyors have reportedly arrived on site and assessed the fire damage to the assembly partner. The report also said that Apple representatives are working with Pegatron to handle the incident.
Normally, multiple buses transport employees from their accommodation to the factory, but on Tuesday the vehicles were parked there and only a skeleton crew entered the factory.
A state industrial safety official explained that the fire started in a charging rack on the first floor of the building used to test assembly equipment. About 29 workers were in the area when the fire broke out, and they quickly left after seeing black smoke.
Six machines were damaged in the fire, according to the official, who did not disclose what they were used for.