NEWS– The Police in Jinja City are currently probing the origins of a fire that consumed eight residences in Masese cell, located in the southern Division.
Kira Regional Police Spokesman James Mubi told journalists that the fire was first noticed in one of the homes early in the morning and the residents initially dismissed it as a small incident that could be handled without external help.
Mubi explained that, however, the fire rapidly expanded to other parts of the area, leading the residents to call upon the Police Fire and Rescue services, however the area is overcrowded and lack of accessible roads made it difficult for fire trucks to reach the crucial spots, resulting in the fire spreading without restraint.
Mubi said that the Fire Police officers teamed up with locals, using water buckets to control the fire and stop it from reaching more houses and despite these efforts, a significant amount of household items, including electronics and utensils, were severely damaged.
Ms Immaculate Nakajuyi, who was working at the Jinja Central Market when the fire broke out, found out about the incident through social media and she claimed that she suffered a loss of her entire inventory, valued at Ugx 3 million, which she had stored in her house for sorting before selling.
Another local resident, Ms Blessing Naigaga, expressed her frustration over the delay in cutting off the electricity supply to the affected areas, which hampered property salvage operations and she said that she lost all her clothes in the fire and is now taking shelter with relatives in nearby areas.
Mubi said that preliminary investigations indicate the possibility of illegal power connections being the cause of the fire as crime investigators and detectives continue to conduct thorough investigation.
Mubi also called on the authorities of Jinja City to rethink urban planning in slum areas, underlining the importance of access roads for faster response to emergencies like fires.
