A tenant of one of the buildings, destroyed by yesterday’s fire in Monggar, said LPG cylinder leakage in his house caused the fire.
The fire, which started at 4:30 PM, razed three traditional houses and destroyed two attics of nearby buildings. One casualty was reported and the patient has been airlifted to Thimphu.
One house, which partially caught fire, had to be demolished to stop the fire from spreading to the rest of the town.
The tenant, Sangay Wangchuk said his new LPG cylinder was leaking.
“I can’t say anything. I am unlucky. I have caused damages to others. I have damaged their houses. I can’t bear such feelings and I don’t know what to do,” said Sangay Wangchuk.
Most of the occupants of the razed buildings could not salvage their belongings.
“I was in daze. I could not walk even if I wanted to save my belongings,” one of the tenants, Tshewang Dorji said.
Another affected house owner, Sonam Phuntsho said he is sad as it has been only four months since he last renovated his house.
The fire spread quickly to other buildings after a string of cylinders exploded. It posed imminent threat to rest of the houses in the town.
Sensing the danger, the nearby residents emptied all their belongings out on the street.
The fire could be contained at 9 PM, before it could spread to the fuel depot.
