More than 150 houses, mostly thatched-roof and made of wood and clay, have been reduced to ashes in a massive fire in Saptari district on Thursday.
This is the second massive firebreak in Saptari in less than three weeks.
The fire that broke out from the kitchen room of Dasarath Yadav, a resident of Malhaniya village-5 of Saptari, quickly spread and gutted down all houses in the settlement. The fire also killed five cattle and left two locals injured.
Saptari's Chief District Officer Birendra Yadav said the wind caused the fire to spread quickly and damage more properties. Yadav estimated that the fire damaged properties worth around Rs 50 million.
The injured, 40-year-old Bhuvaneshwor Yadav and 26-year-old Manoj Yadav-have been admitted to a local hospital for treatment. They had received burn injuries while trying to save their houses from the fire.
Although the fire brigade of the Rajbiraj municipality was informed on time, the fire engine got stuck midway due to the poor state of the road. Later, a fire engine from the Itahari municipality had reached Malhaniya and doused the fire. But, the locals were already rendered homeless by this time.
The fire victims are now forced to spend the night on the open ground.
On 26 March, a similar fire had destroyed 79 thatched-roof houses and killed a person in Kanchanrup village.