20130208 Nepal Flights cancelled after runaway catches fire
Nepal Feb 08 2013 “Aircraft”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 0 or unknown Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Flights cancelled after runaway catches fire
Updated: 2013-02-08 11:10 PM
Fire at the Biratnagar airport on Friday.
BIRATNAGAR: Regular flights at Biratnagar Airport were disrupted for two hours today after fire broke out on its runway.
Grass land and bushes adjacent to the southern part of the runway caught fire at around 4:15 pm today. The fire started when an unidentified person’s cigarette ignited the grass land of the airport. It spread through the grass land and engulfed the area 20 metres from the runway. Some domestic flights were diverted and delayed due to this‚ sources said.
However‚ the blaze was brought under control within an hour. Nepal Civil Aviation Authority Biratnagar chief‚ Raj Kumar Kshetri confirmed that a discarded cigarette butt caused fire to the grassland spread around 16 bighas of land of the airport.
The blaze‚ however‚ did not cause any damage to the airport property. Kshetri said Nepali Army‚ Armed Police Force and Nepal Police personnel doused the flames with the help of two firefighters.
Any delay in bringing the fire under control would have wreaked havoc on people residing adjacent to the runway‚ he added.
Kshetri said flight operations resumed after 5 pm.
Websource:The Himalayan Times
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Flights+cancelled+after+runaway+catches+fire&NewsID=365256