UGANDA, Moroto | Real Muloodi News | A wildfire broke out in Acherer Village in the Loputuk Sub-County of Moroto District, leaving 33 households without homes.
The fire was uncontrollable, leaving several residents stranded after a phone battery left charging on a solar panel exploded into flames. It started on Tuesday, February 28th, and destroyed several grass-thatched houses and domestic animals such as goats, chickens, and pets.
According to Maria Napeyok, one of the victims, the fire broke out while she collected firewood in the nearby bush. By the time she noticed it, the fire was already coming from the direction of her settlement.
All the residents were away from their homes when the fire occurred, either in town or working in the bush.
Albert Ngoya, another victim, lost over ten goats and chickens during the outbreak. The goats were resting under the huts, and they could not run away because of the wooden fence around the home.
Simon Peter Korobe, a resident in the same village, returned home to find that all the properties, including the little food stored, were completely burnt into ashes.
John Komba, the Acherer Parish Chief in the Loputuk Sub-county Moroto District, confirmed the incident and said that the people affected by the fire are in dire need of emergency support. He noted that the community failed to put out the fire due to strong winds that were driving the flames, and as a result, everything got burnt
Komba appealed to well-wishers and the government to rescue the affected families with blankets, relief food, tarpaulins, and other household items to help them start a new life.
Wildfires are common in Karamoja during the dry season, mainly caused by the burning of bushes to allow fresh grass to grow for the livestock and locals’ rampant hunting of rats.
The fire left 33 households without homes, and in dire need of emergency support.
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