New Delhi: Tata Communications has said that extensive damage caused by a fire at a key data centre facility in New Delhi is making recovery efforts more difficult than initially expected, raising concerns about the resilience of critical digital infrastructure in India.
The company revealed on Tuesday that the full extent of the damage from the fire, which broke out earlier this month, has significantly affected equipment and systems housed inside the facility. As engineers continue inspections and restoration work, several customers are still dealing with service disruptions and delays in returning to normal operations.
The fire occurred on June 5 at the Next Gen Tower facility in the Greater Kailash area of New Delhi. Emergency services were called to the scene after flames were reported inside the building. Firefighters worked for several hours to bring the blaze under control, and authorities later confirmed that there were no civilian fatalities. Two firefighters sustained minor injuries while battling the fire.
In the days immediately following the incident, Tata Communications stated that business continuity measures had been activated and that efforts were underway to minimize the impact on customers. However, a more detailed assessment of the site has now shown that the damage was more severe than originally believed, affecting important networking and infrastructure components.
The facility serves as a major hub for data and communication services and hosts equipment used by a variety of businesses, internet providers and technology companies. As a result, the effects of the fire extended beyond a single organization and were felt across parts of India's digital ecosystem.
Among the companies affected was Google Cloud, which reported network disruptions linked to the incident. According to the company, the fire at the third party data centre forced the shutdown of some networking equipment, resulting in increased latency and intermittent connectivity issues for certain customers. The impact was observed across several major Indian cities, including Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.
Industry observers say the incident demonstrates how dependent modern businesses have become on large data centres. These facilities store vast amounts of information and support essential services such as cloud computing, internet connectivity, digital payments and enterprise communications. When a major centre experiences an outage, the effects can spread quickly across multiple sectors.
Experts note that restoring services after a data centre fire can be a lengthy process. While many organizations maintain backup systems and disaster recovery plans, physical damage to servers, routers, power units and networking cables often requires replacement of hardware before full operations can resume. In some cases, companies may need to relocate equipment or rebuild parts of the infrastructure entirely.
The incident has also renewed discussion about safety standards and emergency preparedness within India's rapidly expanding data centre industry. Demand for cloud services, artificial intelligence applications and digital storage has grown sharply in recent years, leading to substantial investment in new facilities across the country. Industry analysts say events such as the Delhi fire highlight the importance of strong fire prevention systems, redundant infrastructure and comprehensive recovery planning.
Although Tata Communications has not provided a timeline for complete restoration, the company said teams are continuing to work with customers to recover services and assess damaged equipment. The financial impact of the incident has not yet been fully disclosed.
As recovery efforts continue, businesses relying on the affected facility are turning to backup networks and alternative infrastructure to maintain operations. The fire has become one of the most significant data centre disruptions in India in recent years and is expected to prompt a broader review of resilience and risk management practices across the country's technology sector.