A massive fire at a Birgunj-based LPG bottling plant on Wednesday, in which two firefighters died and as many were injured, has raised serious concerns about the safety of settlements nearby.

According to the LP Gas Bylaw (2065), LPG bottling plants should be set up five kilometres from human settlements “as far as possible”. However, most of the plants in the country are near settlements, risking the lives of thousands of people.

Maniyari, the nearest village from Super Gas Udhyog that caught fire in Birgunj Metropolis-22 on Wednesday, is just about 700 metres from the plant. Local people are still in panic, fearing explosion of gas bullets or storage tanks.

“The villagers did not light fire to cook meal in the kitchen on Thursday as well, fearing that it could trigger an inferno in the house. Most of the locals have kept their cooking gas cylinders in a wet place,” said Lalchuni Chaurasiya, who owns an eatery in Maniyari. She and her husband had a sleepless night after the incident.

The couple said they left their two children at their relatives’ place in Barwachhatauli fearing more incidents.

The fire at the bottling plant is said to have been caused by leakage while the workers decanted LPG into the storage tank from an Indian bullet on Wednesday morning. A fire engine called to douse the flames was engulfed in the fire before firefighters could jump into action.

There were no casualties in the settlement as feared since the plant’s storage tank and four gas bullets were largely unaffected by the blaze.

Following the inferno, the local administration evacuated nearby settlements. The locals left their residences with their cattle and other belongings and stayed a few kilometres away. Most of the locals spent the night on a paddy field while some others stayed at their relatives’ houses.

“The children are traumatised after the fire,” said Gayatri Devi, another local. The residents survived on dry foods like noodles, beaten rice and biscuits since they were too scared to light the fire to cook meal.

The locals have been enraged at the authorities granting permission to set up the gas plant near their settlement, putting lives in peril. “This plant should be removed from here at any cost. How long can we live in fear of blast?” wondered Shiva Giri, a priest at the local Shiva temple.

A team formed to probe the incident visited the site on Thursday. The Nepal LP Gas Industry Association has formed a five-member probe committee led by its former president Shiva Prasad Ghimire.