A raging fire destroyed 21 houses in Bisunpurwa settlement of Madhav Narayan Municipality-4, Ratahat, on Sunday.

No human casualties were reported in the incident, said police. According to the locals, livestock, food materials, clothes, and other valuables were destroyed in the incident.

The fire that broke out from Jiut Mukhiya Bin’s house spread to other houses in the neighbourhood, burning down 20 other houses.

“It is suspected that the fire broke out from Bin’s kitchen while they were cooking. We are yet to assess the damage caused by the fire, said Superintendent of Police Bir Bahadur Budhamagar.

According to Paras Bhandari, a local who witnessed the catastrophe, they informed the police immediately after the incident, requesting for a fire brigade to contain the fire. However, since fire engines were only available at the district headquarters Gaur and Chandranighapur, they were unable to reach the incident spot on time.

“Help arrived two hours after the initial breakout,” Bhandari said. “If they had arrived earlier, a lot of loss could have been prevented.” The locals and the security personnel contained the fire after two hours.