Fire destroys popular hotel on route to Mount Everest during snowstorm
In the Nepalese village of Dingboche in the Solukhumbu district, located on the way to the Mount Everest base camp, a fire has completely destroyed a 17-room hotel Hotel Good Luck. According to preliminary information from local police, the fire occurred at around 11:00 am due to an explosion of a gas cylinder in the kitchen.
The owner of the hotel Kul Bahadur Tamang confirmed that staff and all guests were safely evacuated before black smoke and flames engulfed the building. During the fire, residents of nearby buildings threw mattresses and belongings out of windows in an attempt to save them from the flames, which were spreading to neighboring buildings.
According to trekking guide Arjun Gurung, it was practically impossible to extinguish the fire on site due to the large number of gas cylinders in the kitchen and the significant amount of wooden materials used to build the structure. Extinguishing and rescue were also made impossible by severe weather: due to a snowstorm and avalanche danger, the trekkers remained cut off from the world, unable to go up or down.
Context
The village of Dingboche is a popular stopover for travelers heading to the foot of the world's highest peak. Wood is actively used in local high-altitude construction as an affordable material for thermal insulation of premises in frosty climates.