Himalayan News Service

Bhaktapur, March 9:

A two-storey building belonging to Hari Maya Dhungana at Chhaling VDC-8 was gutted today afternoon. The fire destroyed everything in the house and now Dhungana has nothing at all.

'Somehow Dhungana escaped from being burnt and all her possession was burnt,' said a police official of Kharipati Police post.

The fire fighters from Bhaktapur Fire Brigade, who had reached the incident site within 20 minutes could not save anything from being burnt because almost all the house had been burnt by then.

Police said live cigarette butt thrown at a hay-stack by some careless passer by must have triggered the fire which immediately engulfed the whole house.

It is estimated that the property worth over Rs 250,000 have been destroyed. Police said some 4 tolas of gold and 40 Muris of paddy were destroyed besides Rs 7,000 cash.