New Delhi, Apr 26 (UNI) A massive fire today destroyed the National Museum of Natural history (NMNH) located in the premises of the FICCI auditorium here. The blaze broke out at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry auditorium in New Delhi area in the early hours today, engulfing most parts of the building which houses the NMNH . According to the Fire Office, the blaze started from the top floor of the building and soon spread down to other floors of the auditorium, which is one of the hub of city's events.The Government immediately ordered safety audit of all museums in the wake of massive destruction wrought by the blaze in the NMNH. Around 40 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to control the blaze which could be extinguished after many hours.The cause of fire could not be immediately ascertained.The blaze destroyed rare collections, including fossils, in the museum . Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar visited the site of the National Museum of Natural History at FICCI Complex to take stock of the situation .The fire had engulfed most parts of the building. According to the Fire Office, the blaze started from the top floor of the building and soon spread down to other floors of the auditorium, which is one of the hub of the city's events. Mr Javadekar termed the incident tragic as it was a grave loss to the national treasure. He ordered a fire safety audit of all the museums in the country. The damage, he said, cannot be measured in terms of money as the museum was a house to several rare specimens . Mr Javadekar said after assessing the damage the focus would be on restoring the specimens. The Museum is situated just across the Nepalese Embassy and the Mandi house. The NMNH was on the FICCI property and the damage is yet to be assessed , the environment minister said on the spot. Many rare collections were damaged by the fire, gases and gush of water from battling fire engines. Hundreds of students, mainly from various parts of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), used to visit the museum to gather knowledge of rare flora and fauna. UNI TEAM NB RP1718