LUMBINI, June 21: The fire at Delta Mart in Butwal's Milan Chowk was brought under control on Thursday evening after about five hours of intense efforts. The blaze, which started on the top floor of the three-story mart, required the combined efforts of locals and police to extinguish.

Initial investigations by the police suggest that an electrical short circuit may have caused the fire. Given the dense settlements around the mart, fire trucks were deployed to protect nearby homes, although the mart itself was completely damaged.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Bijaya Raj Pandit from the Butwal area police office estimated the damage to be worth millions of rupees, though precise details are yet to be determined.

Fire engines were deployed from several municipalities, including Tilottama, Saina Maina, Siddhartha, Devdah, Sunwal, Shivaraj Municipality of Kapilvastu, and Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa, to combat the blaze.

According to the police, the concerted efforts of the Nepal Police, Nepali Army, armed forces, and local residents were crucial in controlling the fire. Delta Mart, located in Sub-Metropolitan City-8, Milan Chowk, Butwal, housed shops selling educational materials, shoes, slippers, and clothes produced in Nepal, as well as offices of several companies.