20130416 Nepal Fire rips through Chepang settlement
Nepal Apr 16 2013 “Apartment houses” “Houses”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : more than 70 Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Fire rips through Chepang settlement
Updated: 2013-04-17-22:51
HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE
BARDIYA: A massive fire swept through a Chepang settlement in Belawa VDC in Bardiya last night, reducing as many as 93 houses to cinders and rendering 136 families homeless.
The fire is said to have started from a cigarette butt left by an unknown individual. Only 11 houses in the settlement have emerged unscathed.
Preliminary investigation suggested that property worth Rs 20 million was destroyed in the blaze.
The fire broke out at around midnight while everyone was sleeping, hence they could save nothing. Narendra Sharma, a local, said the fire started from a bamboo grove near the Babai River. “Strong wind helped the fire spread quickly across the settlement,” said Sharma. “People managed to wake up from sleep just in the nick of time, else there could have been huge human casualties.”
Villagers had immediately informed the Bardiya District Administration Office about the blaze but fire engines arrived at the incident site only after three hours.
A police team led by SSP Madhu Prasad Pudasaini from Nepalgunj reached the site later in the night. Nepal Police, the Nepali Army and the Armed Police Force with the help of fire engines put out the fire at around 10:00am today.
SSP Pudasaini has urged the District Administration Office, Nepal Red Cross and other organisations to provide relief materials to the fire victims.
SSP Pudasaini also handed over Rs 25,000 each to fire victims as preliminary relief package.
Websource:The Himalayan Times
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Fire+rips+through+Chepang+settlement&NewsID=373191