Forest fires enter settlements: Houses, schools destroyed in Bhojpur and Khotang

Bhojpur, March 17: Eight houses and eight cowsheds were destroyed at Bhojpur Municipality-12 in Bhojpur district after a forest fire entered the settlement.

Eight houses and an equal number of cowsheds were destroyed as the forest fire occurred at Iname community forest and entered the human settlement, said Chief of the District Police Office, Yubraj Timilsina.

Cowshed of Sambhu Chapagain, house and cowshed of Sobhit Banset, house of Goma Darji, house and cowshed of Ram Bahadur Karki, cowshed of Gopi Krishna Dhamala, house and cowshed of Rudra Prasad Dhakal, house of Shekhar Dhamala, cowshed of Tirtha Prasad Subedi, house of Chandra Prasad Subedi, house and cowshed of Ram Bahadur Dhakal, and cowshed of Govinda Chapagain were turned into ashes.

The fire damaged the houses as it could not be extinguished due to a strong wind, he added. Locals, security personnel, and fire engines have been making efforts to douse the fire.

Similarly, a fire gutted more than five houses at Ramprasad Rai Rural Municipality-4 in the district. Meanwhile, in Khotang, five houses were destroyed in a fire at Halesi Tuwachung Municipality-2.

The houses belonging to Adame Rai, Nagendra Rai, Hirasher Rai, Pirti Bahadur Rai, Rana Bahadur Rai, Abindra Rai, and Hiradhan Rai were damaged in the forest fire that occurred at Balchhikhola community forest that entered the settlement.

Details of the losses caused by the fire are still awaited, said police. Likewise, Balkanya Basic School also suffered damages due to the forest fire. Efforts are underway to douse the forest fire after it started entering the settlement, said ward chairperson Devendra Rai. —RSS