Eight houses gutted in Dalit settlement

Rautahat: Fire gutted eight houses and sheds in a Dalit settlement of Ganga Pipara in Rautahat today morning.
According to police, the blaze was triggered by an explosion of a liquefied petroleum gas cylinder at Mahendra Paswan’s house. The fire spread to adjoining houses and sheds belonging to Jogindra Paswan, Raktu Paswan, Surindra Paswan, Jagdev Hajari, and Nathuni Chaudhary this morning.
“The fire that started at Mahendra’s house quickly spread to the adjoining houses due to the wind,” said Sub-inspector Shambhu Bhandari, adding that a fire brigade from Gaur municipality aided by police and locals had doused the fire after one hour.
It was learnt that four other houses also suffered some damage while attempting to prevent the fire from spreading.
Property worth around one million rupees is estimated to have been damaged in the incident.
“A new TV set and some of our expensive furniture have burnt to ashes,” lamented Mahendra, while another fire victim Surendra also lamented losing Rs 40,000 to the fire.
Surendra, a migrant worker, had come home to celebrate Holi from Malaysia a few days back.
Meanwhile, the fire has displaced people, who are now awaiting relief from the concerned authorities.
Truck on fire

Rautahat a cargo truck suffered damage due to fire in Garuda municipality of Rautahat on Tuesday. According to police, all eight tyres of the truck were destroyed after the truck caught fire all of a sudden. The truck bearing an Indian number plate was parked near the Nepal Telecom office in Garuda after unloading its cargo. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, said police.

Source: The Himalayan Times