 "Fire which broke out at Delhi's Natural History Museum. Photo: ANI")
The fire safety mechanism of the National Museum of Natural History in FICCI building was "not functioning" which could have controlled the fire that broke out in the wee hours today, fire service officials said.
"The fire safety systems were there but they were not functioning at the time when we tried to operate them. Had they been working, the fire would have been curtailed at the earliest time," Deputy Fire Chief Rajesh Panwar said.
"Had the fire system been working it would be easier to control the fire at the earliest time because we had to depend on our resources only," he said.
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The flames have been completely doused and other buildings in FICCI auditorium are safe. Only the National Museum of Natural History building has been damaged, the official said.
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According the officials, almost everything including the collection and documents on display in the museum, was destroyed.
"Important documents and property has been destroyed. We are yet to audit the damage," an official said.
The museum was established in 1972, as part of the celebration of 25 years of India's independence.
The museum's inception lies in then prime minister Indira Gandhi's decision that the country needed a facility to depict its flora, fauna and mineral wealth.
The museum used to provide an out-of-school education facility for students and promote environmental awareness among the masses.
Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar visited the site and ordered an energy and fire audit of all the establishments under his ministry throughout the country.
"The museum was on the Ficci property, we will assess the damage as soon as we are handed it over and see how we can restore it," Javadekar said here.
The fire broke out around 1.45 a.m on the top floor of the museum, located in FICCI Building in Mandi House, where some repair work was underway.
It quickly spread to all other floors of the building.
As many as 35 fire tenders were pressed into service. It took firefighters more than four hours to douse the blaze after which a cooling operation was launched which lasted for another few hours, a fire official said.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, a senior police official said.
There were not too many people in the building, which was evacuated by the time fire officials reached at the scene.
Six fire officials were rushed to hospital after they inhaled excessive smoke during the operation. Their condition is said to be stable now, the official said.
Top officials of the police range and Delhi Fire Services rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. The damage caused by the fire is being estimated.
The industry body FICCI said the cause of the fire is being investigated and thanked the Delhi Fire Service for its quick response in bringing the situation under control.
"Luckily, no one was present inside the building when the incident occurred. Federation house, which is the FICCI office building, and FICCI auditorium were not affected by the incident" FICCI said in a statement.
Established in 1972, the National Museum of Natural History in New Delhi is one of two museums focusing on nature in India. It functions under the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
