NEW DELHI: Nearly four-decade-old National Museum of Natural History, housing thousands of rare specimens of flora and fauna including a 160-million-year old fossil bone of the Indian Sauropod Dinosaur, at the heart of the capital was today ravaged in a massive blaze.
The fire first started on the top floor of the six-storey FICCI building which housed the museum in Mandi House area of Central Delhi at around 1.45 AM and rapidly spread to all other floors except the ground floor.
35 fire tenders were deployed to contain the blaze and six firemen were injured in the operation to douse the fire. It is not immediately known what caused the fire at the museum, which was a popular destination for school children. The fire was brought under control at around 6 AM.
Fire department officials said the fire safety mechanism of the museum was “not functioning” due to which the blaze could not be controlled.
The 38-year-old museum had a rich collection of herpetological specimen, specimen of tigers and leopards, preserved butterflies and pre-historic fossils and all of them have been gutted. The museum also had a 160-million-year old fossil bone of the Indian Sauropod Dinosaur.
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. (AGENCIES)
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