KAVREPALANCHOWK, May 5: Five people have been arrested for setting forest areas on fire. 

Those arrested are Maite Tamang,31, of Mandan Deupur Municipality-11, Bikas Bhujel,25, and Savin Sunar, who have been charged of setting fire to community forest in Panchkhal Municipality-5, and Aitimaya Tamang, 80, on charge of setting fire to Kaskot Community Forest of Namobuddha Municipality-1 and Lalkumar Sen Thakuri, 49, on suspicion of setting fire to the community forest in Arubot community forest of Chauri Deurali Rural Municipality-6, according to DSP Raj Kumar Shrestha at the District Police Office, Sindhupalchowk.

Meanwhile, wildfires expanding to human settlement have damaged property in various places of Roshi, Mahabharat and Khanikhola Rural Municipalities. Property worth Rs 2.6 million was gutted when 15 houses of Sanopota village in Roshi rural municipality-4 were burnt in the fire.