One of two such museums in the entire country, the museum is located within the premises of industry body Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) at Mandi House circle, which had rented the space out to the Environment and Forests ministry in 1972. The national head office of Ficci is located adjacent to the six-story museum building.
Although the exact cause of the fire is still unknown, the event has witnessed both the environment ministry, which operated the museum, and Ficci blaming each other after it emerged that the fire safety mechanism of the building was not working.
Visiting the site, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said it was a national loss. He added that officials were ascertaining the extent of the damage and ways to restore it. "This is a rented property, not a Ministry property. Therefore, we have limitations. This is a real loss and we will assess it when the building is handed over to us." he was quoted as saying by PTI. He added that he has ordered a complete fire audit of all 34 museums operating under his ministry including those operated by the Zoological Survey of India and Botanical Survey of India.
Ficci however denied that there was a lapse on their part. "All fire safety measures were in place. This building is approved and cleared by the Government. We host functions for the government and dignitaries frequently in these premises. At least 15 security guards are present at the premises every night and around 35 during the day. The guards noticed the fire and called in the authorities. This fire is a serious case of an accident," said Rajiv Tyagi, Media Head at Ficci.
Had the system been working, the fire would have been doused within hours, Deputy Fire Chief Rajesh Panwar. It took fire services over four hours to douse the blaze with 35 fire engines and nearly 200 firefighters pressed into service. "The wooden partitions to separate different wings of the museum on each of the four floors fed the fire. The specimens, the stuffed animals and the chemicals preserving some specimens were all highly combustible," Pawar said.
While no casualties have been reported, rare exhibits like herpetological specimen, dinosaurs and mounted animals as well as galleries on origin and evolution of life have been destroyed. The Museum, an extensive collection of films on wildlife, ecology and conservation, frequently holds screenings for the public.
The fire broke out on the top floor of the museum at around 1.45 AM where some repair work was underway and quickly spread to lower floors of the building, damaging the specimens kept there. Fire services officials said only the ground and first floors of the museum escaped the blaze. Six firemen were also gravely injured and had to be admitted to hospital.