KATHMANDU, May 18: Firefighters worked almost twelve hours to put out a massive fire that broke out in Thamel, a major tourist hub in the capital, on Thursday night. The fire accident is believed to have been caused by gas leak from a cylinder at a house.
People in the house escaped unharmed leaving out some minor injuries during rescue and escaping.
The fire that started from the kitchen of Faces Lounge, a restaurant on the top floor of the three-story building owned by Sher Bahadur Shahi, was brought under control by fire fighters, security personnel and locals.
Police said that about seven fire brigades from Lalitpur, Bhaktapur and Kathmndu districts and more than two dozens private water tanks were used to douse the fire.
According to the police Inspector Kabit Katuwal, chief at Metropolitan Police Circle Office, Lainchaur, the owners of houses, the lounge and nearby business establishments have not provided any estimation of the damage caused by the fire.
"They have said that they would provide the estimation of losses within two to three days,” said the police.
Inspector Katuwal said, “The fire has destroyed the Pilgrims Book House and Faces Lounge entirely and shops located in other four adjoining buildings were partially destroyed.” With the efforts of the security personnel and locals, human casualties and further destructions were prevented, he added.
The other businesses that suffered losses are Pilgrims Restaurant, Garden Restaurant and Bar, Sheesha Bar, North Field Café and Om Handicrafts.
The fire was declared under control nearly 12 hours of the accident.
When the fire first started, staff and some of the customers at the lounge used fire extinguishers and available water in an attempt to douse it. But it spread to other areas after the cylinder burst, the police said.
Wooden furniture, partitions, books and stored fuels for generators were other major factors that contributed the fire to grow out of control.
Because of the narrow alleys and overcrowding by onlookers, fire fighters were unable to reach the destination sooner, police said.
Ram Sharan Thapaliya, president of Thamel Tourism Development Council, said, arrangements would be made to minimize losses in future by having fire brigades in stand-by position in the tourist-hub.
None of the entrepreneurs had insured their, Thapaliya added.
The injured in the accident are Bikash Adhikari, 27, of Chitwan, Mahesh Khanal, 20, of Dhading and Police Constable Bal Kumar Shrestha, according to the police.
Firefighting teams deployed from Kali Bahadur Battalion, Supply and Transport Battalion of the Nepal Army, about 300 Nepal Police personnel and about two dozens Armed Police Force men were deployed to control the fire.
Eye witness and victim´s accounts
Victim and eyewitnesses speak
Ram Giri, 34, an owner of Faces Lounge that was totally burnt down
When the fire broke out, I was busy handling customers. We tried to put out the fire first with the help of fire extinguishers but in vain. The fire went out of control after three cylinders burst one after the other and engulfed the entire house and spread to other buildings. We focused on rescuing our customers rather than protecting our property and evacuated them. But now we have nothing left. I had invested in the business selling my own house.
Dorje Sherpa, 40, an eyewitness
I had come to visit one of my friends last night. We were just talking and sitting. All of sudden there was a blast which was followed by about half a dozen blasts. Soon the entire building was covered in smoke. With the help of bouncers, other staffs and locals, attempts were made to put out the fire and transfer valuable belongings and documents to a safe place. A fire brigade arrived at the scene only after half an hour. Gas cylinders, generators, alcohols, handicrafts and huge number of books caused the fire to take enormous shape. Had three to four fire brigades reached the spot in time, the losses would have been very low.
Amanda Kwek, 23, a tourist from Singapore
I had never witnessed such a fire accident in my life. We heard a loud sound as we were getting ready to sleep at our room in the Kathmandu Guest House. I peeped from the window of the guest house and saw huge flames and smoke. We tried to run out, collecting our belongings, but the guest house staffs didn´t allow us to come out assuring that we were safe. In case of such accidents, authorities are expected to respond very quickly, which I found missing here even in such a crowded tourist area.
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