By IANS,
Patna: At least 25 people were burnt to death and many more injured in different incidents of fire across Bihar since Friday, police said Saturday.
“We have received information that different fire incidents claimed the lives of 25 people. Five people each were killed in Patna and Samastipur, there were four deaths in a fire in Bettiah, three lives each were lost in Vaishali and Rohtas, two in Bagha and one each in Buxar, Nawada and Bhojpur,” a police official said.
Incidents of fire were also reported from Begusarai, Munger, Araria and Siwan districts.
According to police officials, more than 2,000 houses were gutted in incidents of fire in the last one day, and over a dozen animals were charred to death.
Bihar Disaster Management Minister Renu Kumari Kushwaha announced compensation of Rs.2 lakh to the kin of each of those killed in the fire incidents.
An official in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s office told IANS Saturday that directives have been issued to ensure that preventive measures are taken this summer so that fires do not spread.
Last year, 1,058 fire incidents were reported in Bihar, in which 67 people were killed.
In 2011, 3,724 fire incidents took place and 94 lives were lost.
In 2010, there were 4,479 fire incidents and 129 people lost their lives.