Property worth Rs 300 mn gutted in warehouse fire

A massive fire broke out in a warehouse run by the National Federation of Disabled-Nepal on the premises of Bhrikutimandap, destroying property worth Rs 300 million.

Police said that the fire started at around 3 pm (NST) on Wednesday afternoon. It quickly engulfed the building shrouding the sky of the valley sending a thick plume of smoke which was visible from most of the areas of the capital.

"We are accessing the reason behind the fire. Our preliminary assessment has pointed out towards short circuit. The fire finally has been doused after more than two hours," Santosh Singh Rathore, Spokesperson for the Kathmandu Valley Police Office told ANI over the phone.

Firefighter brigades from Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur were called in to control the fire. Fire tenders from Nepal Army, Armed Police Force as well as Nepal Police along with water tanker suppliers also were called in to control the fire.

"I was on duty this afternoon; it was about 2 pm (NST) when I first noticed the smoke pluming out from the warehouse. I hurriedly informed my senior and then the people from surrounding came to the scene," Rupa Shrestha, a security guard of the public library next to the warehouse said.

According to the police, there has been no report of any human casualties as of now. But two firefighters were injured in an attempt to bring the fire under control.

"This actually used to serve as go-down for National Federation of Disabled- Nepal and it hosted textbooks and other essential materials along with the furniture items. As per the police, most of the items that were kept there have been completely damaged in the fire," Manish Aryal, another witness said.

The officials of the National Federation of Disabled- Nepal said that the warehouse had over five dozen new wheelchairs, over 400 crutches, and Covid-19 response equipment such as gloves, masks, sanitisers and safety materials given by the World Health Organization.

The warehouse also hosted the materials of the Social Welfare Council which earlier was displaced from its earlier settlement of Lainchaur as the building was converted into the House for Vice President.