Govt orders fire safety audit of all museums post blaze at National Museum of Natural History

New Delhi: The Central government on Tuesday ordered a fire safety audit of all museums across the country, following a major fire at the National Museum of Natural History here.

The museum was completely destroyed in the fire at the FICCI complex at Mandi House in central Delhi.

The fire had started at the museum at around 1.45 am on the top floor of the six-storey building and quickly engulfed other floors.

Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar visited the FICCI complex in the morning to take stock of the situation.

“This is tragic, the Natural History Museum is a national treasure. Firemen are still at the spot,” Javadekar told reporters after reviewing the situation.

“We have 34 museums across the country, have ordered a fire audit of all establishments,” he added.