The six-storey structure situated at the Mandi House roundabout in the heart of the Capital and owned by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) may have to be demolished completely.

Delhi fire service officials told Mail Today on Friday that the building has become so weak that probably "one push is all that is needed to bring it down".

"The ceiling, main pillars, surroundings walls and foundation have all become shaky and material is falling from them on all sides. It is one of the rare cases where fire has weakened the entire building structure completely," a DFS official said.

After a request for inspection from the police, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has constituted a two-member team from its architecture division. Headed by chief architect Rajiv Sood, the panel will visit the burnt edifice on Saturday and submit a report soon.

As per the NDMC Act (1994), Sections 258 and 259, the local body has to identify "ruinous and dangerous" buildings and order either securing, repair or demolition.

Municipal council chairperson Naresh Kumar told Mail today, "We have received a request from Delhi Police today (Friday). We are inspecting the building in this regard tomorrow." The voracious fire, which broke out at 1.35 am on Tuesday, ravaged the six-storey museum. It consumed all the files in the administrative office on the top floor, over 60,000 volumes of rare books on the fifth floor library, antique valuables in storage on the fourth floor and exhibitions below. It is believed to include a precious dinosaur fossil bone, herpetological and butterfly specimens, taxidermied big cats, etc.

While the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, fire officials said it could be a short circuit or sabotage. Also, it fed on ample combustible material available- paper, temporary plywood partitions, stuffed animal specimens etc.

"Due to the fire, the structure of the building has become very weak. It was an old building and the fire has damaged it further.

Recently we inspected the structure and found these facts," deputy chief fire officer Atul Garg told Mail Today.

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The Museum was planned as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations for India's independence, and finally opened on 5 June 1978. From being a single museum located in New Delhi, NMNH extended its geographical range by establishing Regional Museums of Natural History (RMNH) in Mysore, Bhopal and Bhubaneswar. Two more museums are being established in Sawai Madhopur and in Gangtok.

NMNH and RMNHs focus on India's flora and fauna and are also committed to environmental education. Besides having a large collection of stuffed animals and birds, both the national and regional museums showcase the rich diversity of India’s tribal life.

Art critic Uma Nair said, “It’s a big loss in terms of historical and heritage value of collections that got damaged by fire. It’s a very sad state of affair and the loss is irreparable. The most unfortunate part is that in India we need museum and institution buildings like those abroad, but when it comes to safety measures and maintenance, we fail.”