A fire that broke out at the Jasbire Tea Processing Industry in Ilam on Tuesday night turned the industrial establishment to ashes. Suspected to have been triggered by an electrical short circuit, the fire destroyed the factory and everything in it, including tea processing machines and tea leaves that had yet to be processed, along with the two-story metal structure itself. Efforts by locals, police, and a fire truck from Ilam Municipality also couldn’t save the factory.
The factory run by Sharad Subba, a prominent tea maker, made more than 35 variants of high-end tea, such as White Tea and Oolong, and exported 40,000 kg of quality tea every year. Subba had recently won the title of “Best Tea Maker” at the Nepal Tea Challenge 2024.