Kathmandu. Four houses and a private temple were damaged in the fire that broke out near Bhimsensthan of Kathmandu Metropolitan City-20 this morning. Though the inferno has not been completely brought under control, 90 per cent of the fire has already been put out, said Chief of Disaster Management Division in Kathmandu municipality, Bishnu Prasad Joshi. “The fire is 90 per cent contained, but it may take some more time to fully douse,” he said. “

The fire started from a garment godown at a two-storey house at Bhimsensthan of Kathmandu Metropolitan City-20. According to Joshi, the fire spread rapidly due to clothes, carpets and other inflammable materials found in the godown. The fire worsened when the gas cylinders in the warehouse exploded. The cause of the fire is suspected to be a short circuit.

The fire was reported by phone at 4:41 am. The first fire engine from the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) at 4.44 am and the second fire engine at 5.01 am had reached the fire site. A total of six fire engines including those from Lalitpur, Bhaktapur and Nepal Army were mobilized in the area.

Joshi said that the fire brigade reached the site immediately after a local sweeper came to collect garbage this morning and spotted the fire. Out of the four houses affected by the fire, one house was completely destroyed and more than 50 percent of the other houses were damaged. Preliminary estimates are that about 25 percent of the remaining houses have been damaged. Similarly, a private temple (Guthi temple) above the affected house has also been damaged.

The full extent of the damage is yet to be ascertained, but the fire caused extensive damage to old steel structures. Joshi said that further investigation is underway as the clothes are yet to be removed. Five people have been rescued in connection with the fire. Among them were two adults and three children. “The Municipal Police Force, Nepal Army and Nepal Police are working together with locals to shift the people to safer places,” said Joshi.