The fire started from a cowshed of Kundan Safi of Basbitti VDC- 6 around 5 am and spread throughout the settlement gutting a dozen houses.
According to the police, Kundan had lit fire in the cowshed to make smoke to drive the mosquitoes. The unattended fire spread quickly and engulfed the entire settlement. “There was no huge loss of property as the fire victims managed to take out some of their belongings,” said DSP Shyam Singh Chaudhary of District Police Office, Saptari.[break]
The fire gutted four houses of Kundan, two houses each of Doman Sada, Amir Sada and Damber Sada of Malhet VDC respectively and one house each of Parsuram Sada and Dhuthara Sada, said the police. It is estimated that the fire destroyed property worth Rs 2 million.
A fire brigade from Rajbiraj Municipality had reached the settlement to bring the fire under control.
Doman Sada, a fire victim said, “Everything, including food grains, clothes and money was burnt in the fire.” He also complained that the government authorities have not taken any initiative to distribute them relief materials. On Saturday alone, as many as 16 houses were gutted in three separate incidents of fire outbreak in the district. The fire was reported in Fakira, Fattehpur and Didhawa VDCs.
According to the police, nine houses were destroyed in the fire in Fakira VDC alone. It is estimated that the fire destroyed property worth around Rs 700,000, said DSP Chaudhary.
Over the last one month alone, over a dozen fire incident have occurred in the district.
Two killed in separate incidents of fire
REPUBLICA (BARA): Two persons were killed in separate incidents of fire outbreaks on Saturday night. Kapil Dev Mahato, 65, of Paterwa VDC 9, Bara died in the fire that broke out in a bamboo grove near his house. Similarly, Man Bahadur Pathak of Koshidekha VDC died while trying to douse a wildfire spreading toward his village. He died of burn injuries on his way to the hospital.
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