As per the preliminary estimates, property worth Rs 5 million was destroyed.
The fire that broke out from a local Manik lal Yadav's kitchen at around 2:15 pm spread like wildfire due to wind, destroying all the houses in the village, according to one of the victims Ram Awatar Yadav.
The affected village had been reeling under acute shortage of water, which compounded the problem when the fire broke out. There are two wells in the village and the ponds are located far away. Fetching water from these sources to douse the fire was challenging for the villagers.
All the houses had already caught fire by the time the fire fighters reached the incident site, according to another fire victim Ramdev Yadav.
Meanwhile, a team of security officials and Red Cross members led by Chief District Officer Bijay Narayan Manandhar reached the incident site and provided immediate relief to the fire victims.
Tarpaulins for shelter and food items were distributed to 21 affected families, according to CDO Manandhar. "We're planning for long-term relief package for the fire victims," he said.
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