Fire claimed 44 lives, gutted property worth Rs 709m in 3 months

Published On: March 9, 2019 08:39 AM NPT By: Republica  | @RepublicaNepal


KATHMANDU, March 9: While the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) has been emphasizing on fire safety after fire accidents emerged as the prime cause of property damage in the previous fiscal year, fire accidents have kept increasing in the current fiscal year.

Figures maintained by the MoHA show that 980 fire incidents occurred across the country in the last three months (between December 1, 2018 and March 1) killing 44 people (22 men and 22 women), damaging property worth over Rs 709 million and affecting 1,396 families. 

This was 52 percent increase in fire incidents compared to the same period a year earlier. 

A total of 649 fire accidents were recorded across the country between December 1, 2017, and March 1, 2018, which killed 46 (20 men and 26 women). The amount of property damaged by fire accidents has also seen an increase of 37 percent with the losses rising from over Rs 518 million in the three months last year to Rs 709 in the current year.

Claiming that the ministry has been doing its best to prevent fire accidents, officials from the Home Ministry emphasized the need for involving all three levels of the government to minimize fire accidents. 

“Under the directive of the home ministry, the local levels have been acquiring various fire fighting mechanisms of late, in addition to organizing awareness campaigns,” head of Disaster and Conflict Management Division of MoHA, joint secretary Indu Ghimire said, “Also, it is the responsibility of all three levels of the government to work toward reducing fire accidents.” 

According to Ghimire, a majority of the fire accidents take place due to electrical short circuit. “We have realized that most of the fire accidents take place due to electrical short circuits,” she said, “In this regard, the local levels need to raise awareness on the safe use of electricity in households.” She added that the local units should work proactively to prevent and minimize fire accidents.


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