UDAYAPUR, Dec 20: Property worth 50 million rupees has been gutted in a fire that broke out in Bakshila Bazaar of Kepilasagadhi Rural Municipality-4, Khotang.

DSP Manjil Mukarung of District Police Office Khotang said that five  houses and nearly a dozen shops were destroyed when a fire broke out in the house of local Deepak Gurung at 5:00 PM on Monday.

According to DSP Mukarung, the houses of Deepak Gurung, Ramesh Pariyar, Shubraj Rai and Dilli Kumar Shrestha were completely destroyed in the fire. According to the police, Kepilasagadhi Rural Municipality Chairman Samir Rai suffered a loss worth Rs 12.5 million. According to the police report, a cloth store, grocery store, and a stationery store, which were run by the chairman Rai by renting a 3-storey house belonging to local Shubraj Rai, were completely destroyed in the fire. Indra Rai's hotel and hotel goods worth 750,000 in the same house have also been burnt in the fire.

Deepak's 3-story house, one hundred thousand rupees in cash, other household goods and all the contents of the shop were burnt and the damage was worth 5.485 million rupees. It is mentioned in the detailed police report of the scene that Ratna Gurung's shop which was run on rent in Gurung's house, 75,000 in cash and other materials worth 1.372 million rupees were damaged.

Similarly, Ramesh Pariyar's 3-story house and the goods inside the house, one hundred thousand rupees in cash, clothes, machines and all the other materials worth Rs 7.19 million were damaged in the fire. The police said that Akbar Rai's 3-story house, which was demolished with an excavator to prevent the fire from spreading, and property worth Rs 6.3 million were also damaged. The Nepali Congress Kepilasagadhi Village Working Committee office in the same house was gutted in the fire, causing a damage of Rs 200,000, the party said.

Another 3-story house of Dilli Kumar Shrestha, 50,000 in cash, a pottery shop and a cloth shop were burnt down and the damage was worth Rs 1.177 million. According to the police, the pottery shop of Dilli's son, Pawan, which was run in the same house, was burnt with 40,000 in cash, causing a loss of Rs 2.04 million.

In Baksila Bazar, there are traditional houses made of clay, wood and zinc sheet roofs due to which fire spreads easily. In addition to demolishing a house, the fire was brought under control after nearly 4 hours of efforts with the help of the nearby police, Nepali army and local residents.

According to the police, it has been estimated that the fire caused a total loss of property worth Rs 49.933 million. The cause of the fire has not yet been revealed. It is believed that the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit, said DSP Mukarung.

Chief District Officer Surya Prasad Sedhai said that the victims have been kept at their relative's houses and only food has been arranged for now. According to CDO Sedhai, who was at the scene, preparations are being made to provide relief from the Red Cross Society and the District Disaster Management Committee on Tuesday. He said that he will also take initiatives for the relief and rehabilitation of the victims as per the rules. 

 
• fire
 
• khotang
 
• bakshila