Emergency crews worked through the night to fight the blaze which engulfed a forested area in Lalitpur, on the southern periphery of the Kathmandu valley.
More than 4,500 wildfires have been reported this year across the country, nearly double compared to last year according to government data but less than the worst fire season on record in 2021.
“Wildfires have increased in an unimaginable ratio, and the season is expected to last for a month more,” Sundar Prasad Sharma of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority told AFP.
“It is challenging to put out fires because of our difficult terrain,” he added.
Environment ministry spokesman Badri Raj Dhungana said the increase in the number of wildfires this year was because of a lengthy drought and heatwave conditions in Nepal’s southern plains.
“Generally, wildfires peak late April but this year they are still increasing because of rising temperatures,” he said.
