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The fire safety mechanism of the National Museum of Natural History in FICCI building in central Delhi was "not functioning" which could have controlled the massive fire that broke out in building in the wee hours on Tuesday, with many exhibits like herpetological specimens and taxidermied animals gutted.
Six fire officials were rushed to hospital after they inhaled excessive smoke during the four-hour operation to control the blaze that broke out at 1.45 am.
"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.
Their condition is said to be stable now, officials said.
Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, who visited the spot, described the fire mishap as “unfortunate” and ordered a safety audit of all museums under his ministry.
“This is unfortunate... Museum of Natural History is a national heritage. Thousands of exhibits were there and thousands of people visit the museum everyday,” he said, adding that officials were ascertaining the extent of the damage and ways to restore it.
The fire broke out on the top floor of the museum, located in FICCI Building in Mandi House, where some repair work was underway and quickly spread to all other floors of the building.
As many as 35 fire tenders were pressed into service. It took fire fighters 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.
Many exhibits like stuffed animals and specimens were gutted in the fire.
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 the scene.
Javadekar said the museum was operating out of a FICCI property.
“This is a rented property. It’s not the ministry’s property, but a FICCI property. Therefore, we have limitations. The issue is that this is a real loss and we will assess the loss when the building is again handed over to us. We will see how the recovery plan can be made,” he said.
“The fire personnel are looking after it. But we will assess the damage as soon as they hand it over to. We will see how this can be restored. We will be able to get the details in two days and then chalk out a strategy,” he said.
The minister ordered a safety audit of all museums under his jurisdiction.
“I have given orders to conduct a safety audits of museums under our jurisdiction, so that loss of precious artefacts and exhibits can be avoided,” he said.
There are around 34 museums (under the ministry) including ones of the Zoological Survey of India and Botanical Survey of India.
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.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, a senior police official said.
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.