iPhone production halted after fire breaks out in Pegatron plant near Chennai

Pegatron, an Apple iPhone manufacturer, on Monday suspended iPhone assembly at its facility near Chennai, Tamil Nadu, due to a fire incident. The incident happened on Sunday night, three sources told Reuters. Pegatron, a Taiwanese firm, called off all shifts for the day at the factory. Workers are yet to be informed whether the facility will function on Tuesday. Pegatron in a statement told Reuters that "there was a spark incident" at the facility that is currently under control, and the incident "does not have significant financial or operational impact" for the company.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

That the fire was serious enough is clear from the fact that multiple fire engines from various stations had to be brought in to douse the fire, taking nearly five hours.

"There are no injuries, no casualties nor damage to other assets. The cause of accident is currently under investigations by (the) relevant authority," Pegatron said.

Pegatron currently accounts for 10% of Apple's iPhone production in India, according to research firm Counterpoint.

Apple Inc has bet big on India since it began iPhone assembly in the country in 2017 via Wistron and later Foxconn, as the Indian government pushed for local manufacturing.

Pegatron, which started iPhone assembly in India in September last year, is also in talks to open a second Indian contract facility for Apple near the existing one in Tamil Nadu.