UGANDA, Masaka | Real Muloodi News | On Friday morning, a massive fire gutted Ambiance Discotheque, Masaka’s largest nightclub, destroying the interior of the building and causing billions of shillings worth of property damage.
Eyewitnesses reported that the fire began at the upper corner of the building before spreading to other sections. Despite efforts to contain the fire, the nightclub’s sound systems, lights, wall fittings, floor carpets, and other properties were destroyed.
Police have not established the cause of the fire, however the Greater Masaka Regional Police Spokesperson, Twaha Kasirye, suspects that the outbreak may have been caused by a poor connection to the power supply network.
Whereas Mr Adad Bukenya, who has been a DJ at Ambiance Discotheque for two decades, suspects that the fire was deliberately lit.
“I have worked at Ambiance for 20 years, I know everything here. We have a power stabilizer, I cannot take the narrative that this was a result of an electrical short circuit. We ask the police to use the available CCTV cameras and get to the bottom of this,” he said.
The fire destroyed expensive items such as sound systems, amplifiers, lights, soundproofing, carpets, fridges, and large TV screens, causing an estimated loss of USh4 billion, according to Mr Bukenya.
Richard Mugenyi, a neighbour to the club, lamented that they are also at a loss since most of their customers usually come from the club.
Southern Regional Police Spokesperson, Mr Twaha Kasirye, confirmed the fire brigade team tried in vain to put out the fire.
“The fire brigade at Masaka Central Police Station which is located less than a kilometre away was informed at 2 am, but arrived at around 3.30 pm when everything was already in flames. We tried to use our rudimentary means to save some items, but the fire was too much,” Mr Mugenyi said.
“We cannot speculate now, but our team is still on the ground to establish what exactly caused this inferno. I am sure the truth will come out,” Mr Kasirye said.
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