Pharmaceutical Storage Site Fire Causes $1M in Damage

An electrical fire ignited in a piece of equipment at the Aphena Pharma Solutions Inc. pharmaceutical storage facility in Easton, MD on Friday morning, causing an estimated $1 million in damage to the facility, state fire officials announced Sunday.

Crews were dispatched to the 55,000-sq-ft Industrial Park Road site around 6:40 a.m. after receiving a 911 call from a passerby. Heavy smoke was observed in the structure when firefighters arrived. 

“The fire was determined to be accidental in nature due to an electrical malfunction within a commercial scissor lift, being stored inside of the property,” the Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshall said in a press release. 

More than 100 fire personnel worked for several hours to douse the three-alarm fire. No injuries were logged during the incident. 

Aphena purchased the storage facility in Easton from Konsyl Pharmaceuticals in March 2020. A $12.4 million renovation project, which includes the installation of new equipment in the facility, is slated to be completed this October, the company said in a release on the acquisition of the site. The company is a contract manufacturer and packager of solid dose, liquids, gels, creams, ointments, foams, suspensions, and lotions. 

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