NEPALGUNJ/RAJBIRAJ: More than 100 houses were gutted in fire in Narainapur VDC-1 of Banke district across the Rapti River today. The fire that broke out from local Tahir Khan’s house around noon had spread all over the village. Khan’s house had caught fire when his seven-year-old daughter lit fire in the absence of her parents.

According to Chandra Shekhar Oli, Assitant Sub-Inspector, Area Police Office, Narainapur, 105 houses out of 145 in the area were gutted in the fire. Flames are still seen in coming out of some of the houses. Ten-year-old Bahur Yadav, who got injured in the fire, has been sent to Baharaich in India further treatment. Four cattle were also killed in the inferno. Houses of Dharmadas Yadav, Ramkishan Bhujuwa, Chedana Yadav, and Ramuddin Yadav including others have been completely destroyed.

Rambalak Pashi, a victim, said, all the foodstuffs and clothes of most of the villagers have been destroyed in the fire. He lamented, “We have nothing left other than clothes we are wearing.

The locals and police personnel together put out the fire in five hours. A fire engine from Nepalgunj reached the incident site around 5 pm when the fire was almost under control. The incident site is 50 km north-east of district headquarters Nepalgunj.