Massive Fire at FICCI Building in Delhi, National Museum Gutted

A massive fire broke out at FICCI on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. The fire was detected at the sixth floor of the building.

The National Museum of Natural History which is located inside the building has been completely gutted in fire.

Seven fire officials were seriously injured while trying to contain the blaze and were rushed to hospital where they are in a critical state, an official said.

According to Joint Commissioner of Police, New Delhi Range, Mukesh Kumar Meena, the police were informed about the fire at around 1:52 am on Tuesday.

He added that 37 fire tenders are working to extinguish the fire.

Officials said fire in the building has been brought under control. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

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.

Javadekar said the museum was operating out of a FICCI property. "This is a rented property. Its 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.