UGANDA, Masaka | Real Muloodi News | A fire occurred on the afternoon of Tuesday 14th February 2023, at Masaka City stores located in Soweto, a suburb of Masaka City.
The fire destroyed crucial documents and caused damage to parts of the city yard where the stores are located. Fortunately, there were no casualties reported.
“The inferno majorly destroyed important documents, most of which were considered sensitive,” said Mr Hussein Mugarura, the Masaka City police commander.
According to Mr Tony Ssempijja, the Masaka City Council speaker, the documents that were destroyed include council minutes, physical plans, and city records dating back to 1953 when Masaka was still a township, making the incident a significant loss to the city administration.
Other items that burned included big tyres for garbage trucks that had just been procured, as well as wheelbarrows, and other tools.
The cause of the fire is yet to be established. However, Police suspect that the fire was intentionally started and are currently investigating it as a suspected case of arson.
“There is a possibility that someone could have started it for reasons only known to him,” said Mr Mugarura.
He has urged members of the community to cooperate with the authorities to establish the truth.
A witness and driver attached to Masaka City Council, Mr Yasin Busulwa, suspects that the fire may have been caused by a short electric circuit.
“At first, we thought it was mist but on getting closer, we saw the blaze coming out from the stores, we called the police fire brigade, which swiftly responded and prevented it from spreading to other buildings,” Mr Busulwa said.
Despite the swift arrival by the police fire brigade, the first fire truck ran out of water. As a result, the Fire and Prevention Rescue Services Unit at Masaka Central Police Station had to deploy two more fire brigade trucks to extinguish the fire.
Fire incidents become rampant during dry spells, which usually leads to a build-up of flammable materials.
Some incidents are accidental while others are blamed on arsonists who usually take advantage of the situation. For example, on Monday, February 13, 2023, several traders in Kiganda Zone, Kisenyi II Parish in Kampala Central Division, lost billions of shillings in an early morning fire that gutted their stalls and stores.
The police’s latest crime annual report shows that 1,015 fire emergencies were handled in 2020. The fire incidents were mainly attributed to charcoal stoves, electric short circuits, negligence, arson, electrical appliances left unattended, and overheating, among others.
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