Bihar fire incidents: 11 dead, 100 acre of forest area gutted

Patna: Altogether 11 people were charred to death and 100 acres of forest area were gutted in incidents of fire in various district of Bihar including Patna, West Champaran and Munger on Friday, officials said. Five members of a family were charred to death at Dumahla locality in Gardanibagh area here as a fire broke out in their hut this morning due to short circuit while they were sleeping.

The victims were identified as Shambhu Prasad (50), his wife Mita Devi (45), son Vikas Kumar (8), daughter Nishu Kumari (5) and mother in-law Shakuntla Devi (70), sources said. In another incident, a major fire broke out in the New Market under Kotwali police station area in the state capital gutting 100 shops. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar visited the spot and directed local officials to launch rescue measures. Fire claimed four lives of another family at Misrauli village in West Champaran district as the blaze broke out in their house and spread to the locality reducing to ashes about 200 houses, the sources said. In Samastipur district, two persons died after they were trapped in a blaze in Chakwa village under Sarairanjan block in which 30 thatched houses were gutted. Disaster Management Minister Renu Kumari Kushwaha said the kin of each of those killed would be given a compensation of Rs two lakh. In West Champaran, an wildfire gutted around 100 acres of forest area in Madanpur, Valmiki Nagar and Harnatand in the Valmiki Nagar Tiger Reserve, VTR-I divisional forest officer Nandkishore said. Trains passing through VTR were stranded at different places as efforts were on to douse the flames, he said. PTI