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May 22 (Reuters) - India's Hindalco Industries HALC.NS posted a surprise profit drop for the second straight quarter on Friday, missing analyst estimates, as expenses linked to a fire-related disruption at its U.S. unit Novelis offset the benefit of higher base metal prices.

The Aditya Birla Group-owned firm reported a 50.8% fall in consolidated net profit to 25.97 billion rupees ($271.40 million) for the three months ended March 31, missing analysts' estimates of 43.12 billion rupees, per data compiled by LSEG.

Hindalco, one of India's biggest aluminium and copper producers, benefitted from firmer base metal prices and higher demand in the seasonally strong quarter when construction activities peak and automotive companies push production and sales targets before financial year-end.

Benchmark three-month aluminium and copper rose 21.8% and 36.7% year-on-year respectively in the reporting quarter.

Higher commodity prices typically lead to higher profit margins for mining companies.

The firm's aluminium recycling arm, Novelis, which supplies rolled aluminium to beverage can makers and automakers, was impacted by fires at its New York plant in September and November last year, causing production interruptions in the reported quarter.

The company took a 41.71 billion rupee charge for the quarter related to the plant fires in Oswego, New York.

Hindalco's overall revenue from operations rose 20.4% to 781.33 billion rupees. Analysts, on average, had expected a revenue of 723.96 billion rupees.

($1 = 95.6900 Indian rupees)