A fire in Tumbewa Bazaar, ward 4 of Mikwakhola Rural Municipality, destroyed four houses, displacing five families.

Local Gajendra Thalang said the homes of Raj Kumar Sawa, Indra Kumar Sawa, Bishnu Sawa, and Anil Sawa were reduced to ashes. Shops run by Dorchi Sherpa and Pasang Phuttee in these houses were also destroyed, police said.

The blaze started around 10:30pm Tuesday when a parked motorcycle caught fire. Locals attempting to push it into a drain accidentally spread the flames to nearby houses. The fire could not be controlled despite efforts by villagers and a Nepali Army team stationed at a hydropower.

Thalang said large cardamoms stored in the houses were destroyed, causing losses estimated in the millions of rupees.

The cardamom, stored for transport to the district headquarters Phungling on Wednesday morning, was valued at around Rs100,000 per mann (per 40 kg).