Four members of a single family died when a fire broke out at a house in Laljhoda of Shivasatakshi Municipality-7, Jhapa district on Sunday.

Police identified the deceased as Laxman Khanal, 35, his wife Radhika Khanal, 30, sons Chandra Khanal, 4, and five-month-old Tikaram Khanal.

The two- storey house made up of wood turned into ashes in the fire that broke out at around 10pm yesterday, police said.

The reason behind the fire is yet to be ascertained, said Inspector Kailash Rai.

He said that the deceased family’s neighbour, Gita Dhungel, 32, sustained injuries after a LP gas cylinder exploded in the fire. She has been taken to the Nobel Hospital in Biratnagar for the treatment.

Khanal’s neighbour Muktinath Dahal, who was one of the first responders following the incident, said that they could not save Khanal family despite tireless efforts.

 “I ran inside the house as soon as I saw the house was on fire. I could not go upstairs as the fire had already spread to other parts of the house,” said Dahal, adding, “We saw someone flashing a torch light from the window but we were helpless and could not save them.”

Another neighbour, Chabilal Sapkota, was unaware of the fire until he heard other people screaming. “The house was completely destroyed in the fire until the time we heard the noise.”

 “We tried to douse the fire with water but the inferno had already spread to other parts of the house and our efforts went in vain,” he said.

 “We saw the whole family burnt alive and their house turned into ashes,” said another neighbour Bhim Kala Khatiwada, “We were helpless as the fire was so big and no one tried go near the house.”

Khanal had stored around 40 litres of diesel to use in a threshing machine. Likewise, there was a load of recently harvested paddy and a motorcycle inside Khanal’s house.

Police have suspected that the presence of inflammable materials inside the house as the reason behind the rapid spread of fire.