When a team of eight fire tenders were rushed to the Museum of Natural History in the early hours of Tuesday, the fire fighters had not expected the city’s iconic building to throw up the challenges it did.
“There was a fire safety system in place, but the hydrant system was non-functional. So, we had no access to water supply from the building because of which our fire tenders had to return for refilling each time,” alleged Atul Garg, Additional Director, Delhi Fire Services .
That consumed considerable time and allowed the flames to spread to other floors of the six-storey building. “There is no point if there is a sprinkler system in the building, but is not connected to a water source,” said Mr. Garg.
Initially, the fire tenders returned for refilling even as new ones rushed to take their place, but soon the authorities decided to seek water from the Mandi House metro station. “The metro authorities obliged and opened their supply for us,” the officer told The Hindu .
Fire officers said they were not in a position to comment on other aspects of the building’s fire safety system such as the emergency exists and the alarm system.
“There appeared to be two separate staircases leading out of the building, but how functional they were cannot be said. Since the alarm system was destroyed in the blaze, we cannot comment on that either,” said another senior officer.
Dr. B. Venugopal, Director of the National Museum of Natural History, refused to comment on the fire security system status initially, but later said that necessary arrangements must have been in place as he “often hears the fire alarm ring”.
“We have the sprinklers in place and the FICCI has told us that the fire audit for the building has been conducted,” Dr. Venugopal added. The affected building is owned by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI) and was rented out for the museum.
However, Mr. Garg alleged that the building had never received the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the fire department. “The museum building has never obtained an NOC from us,” said Mr. Garg.
Fire fighters also spoke about how the “lack” of a “proper ventilation system” in the six-storey building affected the operation.
“There was no outlet for the smoke. The flames spread quickly to the lower floors of the building. Had there been a ventilation system in place, our men would not have been so affected by the smoke,” said a fire fighter at the spot.
The use of “plywood” for keeping the exhibits, meanwhile, helped the flames spread quickly.
Fire fighters who visited the building said that the flames have left the top two floors surviving on a very weak structure and their collapse in the near future cannot be ruled out.
Fire tenders had to be refilled from Mandi House Metro station; delay let the flames spread
