Four members of a family died in a fire at Kanepokhari Rural Municipality-3 in Morang district on Wednesday night. 

Although the cause of the fire in the two-storey house made up of wood and stone is unclear, police suspect that an electric short circuit might have triggered the inferno. 

According to police, Chandra Bahadur Rai, 55, his mother Ganga Maya, 86, wife Parbati, 50, and sister Bishnu Kumari, 45, died in the incident that happened at around midnight. 

Chandra ran a general store on the ground floor of the house. All the family members were asleep upstairs when the incident occurred. 

“I heard somebody was shouting at around midnight. I saw Chandra dai’s house on fire when I looked outside the window,” said Rita Basnet, a neighbour. She said that she heard Chandra cried for help 3-4 times. “Then there was silence,” she added. 

The villagers gathered immediately after Rita cried for help. But they were helpless as the fire had engulfed the house. “It was found that the house was locked from inside. It seemed the victims were trapped inside as they did not find the key to open the door,” said Kabiraj Yakhya, a local. 

Bodies of Parbati and Bishnu Kumari were found near the main door, while Chandra and his mother were found dead in the latter’s bedroom. 

Chandra’s octogenarian mother had been ill for the past few days. Chandra’s two children survived the incident as they were in Kathmandu for their studies. 

Preliminary investigation suggests properties worth Rs10 million were destroyed in the fire. The house was reduced to cinders along with the general store, a tractor and a motorcycle, said DSP Bishnuhari Koirala.