A person died and another was injured when a fire engulfed a house in Kathmandu Metropolitan City-12, Logan, in the wee hours of Saturday.

The deceased has been identified as Jeevankaji Shrestha, 65, a permanent resident of Kavrepalanchok district. He and his son had rented the space in Lagan. His son Praveen Lal Shrestha, 42, got injuries in his hands in his bid to rescue his father. Locals say the fire broke out at around 3am, and it came under control after seven hours. Twelve fire trucks were used to douse the flames. Bijay Sharma, a neighbour, said that the fire gutted the fourth floor of the house where the deceased used a heater in his room. “At 3am, we saw a huge blaze and smoke coming from the fourth floor,” said Sharma, who lived next house.

Deceased Jeevankaji had paralysis. “Then we heard a cylinder blast. After a while, there was another blast. We all ran out onto the street,’ said Sharma. As the house is attached to other houses in the area, locals remained fearful until the inferno was tamed. DSP Taku Nanda Limbu of Metropolitan Police Circle, Jana Sewa said a loss of property worth Rs7 million was claimed by the owner. The old wood-and-brick house has five storeys.

Apart from the damage, the adjoining house belonging to Shyam Shakya also got its window panes shattered. According to locals, seven family members who lived there have been rendered homeless as they lost all their belongings to the blaze.