A 70-year-old woman was burned to death when a furniture and sawmill caught fire at Kavrebhanjyang of Dhulikhel Municipality-9 on Friday night.

Police identified the deceased as Tika Devi Dangal of Nanglebhare in Kathmandu district. According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Min Bahadu Ghale, Tika Devi died while her husband Toyanath Dangal sustained burn injuries in the inferno.

He is receiving treatment at Dhulikhel Hospital. The fire, caused by electric short-circuit, destroyed the saw mill, an adjoining house belonging to Dhruba Bahadur BK and a hut.

The Dangal couple were working at the sawmill. Preliminary police investigation shows that properties worth approximately Rs 9 million were destroyed by the fire.