Fire engine catches fire while dousing fire

KATHMANDU: A fire engine dispatched to extinguish a wildfire in a community forest in Rupandehi ended up catching fire itself.

Tilottama Municipality had deployed a fire engine bearing the registration plate Lu 1 Ga 349 to combat a fire that had broken out in the forest area of Ganeshnagar in Tilottama-8 on Wednesday morning. However, the very fire engine deployed to douse the flames became engulfed in fire.

“The fire engine itself caught fire. Its front portion has been completely destroyed,” Madhav Pokharel, the information officer of the municipality, said.

The driver of the fire engine managed to escape unharmed, he added.