Last Updated on: 20th April 2023, 08:47 am
Kampala, April 20, 2023: Police have spoken and released a preliminary report following a fire outbreak on one of its stations in the Kampala Metropolitan Area on Wednesday.
The fire started at approximately 9:45 pm, the Deputy PRO of Kampala Metropolitan Area, ASP Luke Owoyesigyire said in a brief statement.
He added that the fire prevention and rescue services responded to a fire outbreak at the Ntinda Police Station traffic office and Barracks. “The team acted swiftly and managed to put out the fire. Investigators have moved in to ascertain the exact cause of the fire.”
“Preliminary findings have revealed that the fire started from the barracks as a result of negligence and spread to the nearest traffic office. It is alleged that two children set a fire inside the barracks that came in contact with electric cables.”
The full extent of the damage, Owoyesigyire said has not been fully ascertained, however, no injuries or fatalities have been registered, adding that “…we would like to thank the fire prevention and rescue services for their prompt response and commend them for their bravery in putting out the fire.”
Further details will be availed as soon as possible, he added.
Uganda is not immune to fire outbreaks and from schools to Police units, it keeps happening as has been observed in recent years and months.
In October 2022, 11 people, including pupils of Salama School for the Blind in Mukono were killed after a fire burnt a school dormitory. More than five were seriously injured and were rushed for medical treatment.
Another fire broke out in February 2023 in Kakajjo, Kisenyi in Kampala, and over 40 milling machines got destroyed. Maize and chicken feeds were some of the items traders lost in that fire.
Speaking to URN at that time, Francis Ssendege, a maize dealer said he offloaded three trucks of maize on Sunday (a day before the outbreak) and lost over shs45 million.
The World Health Organization (WHO) data published in 2020, that fire deaths in Uganda reached 872 or 0.42% of total deaths. The Age-Adjusted Death Rate (AADR) is 2.83 per 100,000 of the population.
Uganda is, according to WHO, ranked number 54 in the world when it comes to fire outbreaks. Also, data shows that fires are the country’s number 43rd among leading causes of death.
Stroke, HIV/AIDS, and traffic crashes stand at number 1, 4, and 5, respectively.