UGANDA | Mbale | Real Muloodi News | The Grace Foam plant in Mbale City’s Mbale Sino Industrial Park was destroyed by fire earlier this week, destroying items worth millions of shillings.
The fire started approximately at 8 p.m. on Tuesday 20th December 2022.
Despite their swift action, the Police Fire Brigade was unable to save the factory since the raging fire had already caused significant damage by the time they arrived at the scene. However, they were able to stop it from spreading to adjacent factories.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, according to Mr Rex John Achilla, the Resident Commissioner (RCC) for Mbale City.
“The manpower and fire equipment which we have are not enough to put off the fire. The police have made their part. We have called Soroti and Tororo to send us more fire brigade because this fire is huge,” he said Tuesday night.
Mr Emmanuel Odai, a factory employee, believes that the incident was caused by defective equipment used to create mats and bed coverings.
“The machine created sparks, which triggered flames at around 8.10PM. Employees on duty ran for their lives and no one got hurt,” he said.
Eight factories, including those that make Victoria Cables, Pearl Lights, Dubemats, and Softcare Diapers, are in Mbale Sino Industrial Park.
The event lost the owners US$25 million in investment and 600 jobs, according to Evelyn Anite, Minister of State for Investment at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
“What a sad day it is for us as a country for proprietors of Mbale Industrial park & Grace Foam factory, that they have lost an Investment of over $25m & 600 jobs due to fire,” Anite says.
Anite claims that Matia Kasaija, the finance minister, has mandated an investigation into the fire’s origin.
This year 2022, the country has battled several fires talkless of the factory fires in various cities like Lira, Hoima, Wakiso, and Kalangala among many others.
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