A major fire gutted the laboratory of Organic Chemical Technology (OCT) a division of NCL, Pune, on Sunday. Fire brigade personnel rescued three persons who were at the fourth floor of the building where the fire started.

Talking to newspersons, Director General, Dr. R.M. Mashelkar who was present in Pune ruled out any kind of sabotage and said that an enquiry committee would investigate the causes of the incident. The report would be submitted in three days. According to some witnesses here, the fire started at the ground floor of the building, adjacent to the main complex when two research assistants were conducting some experiments at the OCT division at around 5.45 PM on Sunday.

According to the police officials it took more than two and half hours to bring the fire under control. Seven fire tenders of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad Corporations brought the fire under control.