Saptari, Oct. 15 -- Raj Kumar Paswan had borrowed Rs40,000 on Wednesday afternoon to cover household expenses. By nightfall, a fire had destroyed his home in Paswan Tole, in ward 10 of Kanchanrup Municipality, burning the borrowed cash along with all the food and clothes stored inside.

The fire left nine families in the settlement homeless. Gajendra Paswan said he also lost Rs25,000 in cash kept at home.

The blaze destroyed 13 houses belonging to the nine families. Food stocks, clothing, cash and everyday household items were also lost, leaving the victims without shelter and necessities. "The fire took away everything we had accumulated through daily wage labour and the means to sustain our daily lives," Raj Kumar Paswan said. "We beca...