Police informed that along with the houses, belongings including some domestic animals were also engulfed in fire. [break]
The fire, which started around 11 PM, was doused only at 5 AM Wednesday. A team comprising Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel and Guleriya Municipality fire brigade worked through the night to put out the inferno.
According to Yam Lal Sharma, a local, the fire gutted the houses in no time, before the arrival of rescue workers."The damage was done within half an hour of the fire breakout. Luckily, everyone was able to escape," said Sharma.
Everything was destroyed in the fire, informed Executive Officer at Guleriya Municipality Bishnu Gurung. "We were able to extinguish the fire only after several hours," Gurung added.
Aalip Bilap, a fire victim, said the fire destroyed his lifetime earnings in front of his very eyes. "I am just an ordinary vehicle driver and I had saved some money working day and night. Today I am homeless and have nothing left," he said.
Meanwhile, police have distributed Rs 25,000 per fire victim as immediate relief. Bardia chapter of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) donated clothing and food items like rice, salt and pulses.
Most fire victims are businessmen, informed FNCCI local chapter Chairman Amar Bahadur Khadka.
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