Massive Data Centre Fire Destroys 20 Years of Data

A large data centre facility in India caught fire earlier this month, making data recovery extremely difficult, including information stored over the last 20 years.

The STT Global Data Centres facility is owned by ST Telemedia and Tata Communications. The owners have activated business continuity plans to mitigate disruptions following the blaze.

Matrix Cellular, one of the data centre’s clients, was among those affected by the fire. The international SIM card provider explained that it is facing difficulties recovering data that is more than two decades old.

Google Cloud was also impacted by the incident. Reuters, quoting a source, reported that the service experienced several network disruptions in India related to the fire.

“The fire was very severe and caused extensive damage, as well as hindering services,” stated Novamesh, a unit of Tata Communications, in a letter to Matrix Cellular, as reported by Reuters on Thursday.

The letter also noted that the extent of the fire damage has made it difficult for the company to recover affected data and systems.

STT Global Data Centres India has ensured that support is being provided to affected customers, including assistance in migrating to alternative capacities where possible.

Initial analyses suggest that the impact was limited to a single data hall and related infrastructure. Meanwhile, Tata Communications stated that services for all customers, including backups, have been restored.

As of now, there is no confirmed information regarding the cause of the fire. However, Delhi fire authorities suspect the blaze originated from a lithium battery unit.