Dhulikhel, March 18:

Property worth Rs 25 million was gutted in a fire that broke out at a historic house of the Makaju family at Saraswati Bazaar (Dhulikhel) last night. Constructed some 85 years ago, the 64-feet-high, four-storey artistic house was considered the biggest and the oldest building in Dhulikhel.

Four fire engines called from Kathmandu and Bhaktapur doused the fire, which had started at 10 pm, at midnight. The densely-populated area of Dhulikhel would have been destroyed if fire engines had been delayed by half an hour, locals said.

The fire, which broke out as family members went to bed without dousing a candle, also caused a gas cylinder to explode, said Ram Makaju, son of the house owner.

Some members of the family saved themselves by jumping from the house while neighbours rescued some others out of the windows, said another member of the family and chief editor of Bedana weekly, Subash Kaji Makaju. Ballu, a family member, was injured as he jumped from the house, Subash added.

Subash and families of Shree Lal, Sanjaya, Shree Prasad, Jwarlal, Maniklal, Pokharlal, Kapur Maya and Suren Prakash had been living in the house. According to the Local Administration, the fire has damaged property worth 25 million rupees.

The fire damaged Rs 13 lakh in cash and property, including gold and silver, said Suren Prakash. Out of a total of 100 family members, only 48 people were in the house. Other members of the family run their independent businesses. Three SLC students had also been boarding the house.

Though the security personnel were informed about the incident immediately, Subash Kaji, also a former mayor of Dhulikhel municipality, said the personnel arrived one hour later.