Fear and grief has struck residents of Kihiihi Town Council following a devastating fire that destroyed parts of the well-known Tawakkal Restaurant located along Barageine Street in the middle of the Town opposite Taxi Park.
According to eyewitnesses and local sources, the fire is believed to have started from the restaurants kitchen, although authorities have not yet released an official report confirming the exact cause of the incident.
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Our reporter, who arrived at the scene shortly after the outbreak, found residents and nearby business owners attempting to salvage property as flames spread through sections of the building.
Neighbors who spoke on condition of anonymity said the fire reportedly began at around 2:00 a.m.prompting immediate alarm among residents living near the premises who started removing items from nearby shops and houses to prevent further loss.
Residents expressed frustrations over what they described as a delayed emergency response and claimed that local leaders failed to deploy a fire truck in time, forcing the community to wait for the fire brigade from Rukungiri District,located 70 kilometers away.
Despite the challenges, residents worked together to rescue property and attempted to extinguish the fire use of water fetched from from nearby pubic taps.However, their efforts were not enough to stop the blaze, which eventually destroyed th e the kitchen section of the restaurant.
Meanwhile the LC 1 Chairman of Rutwe Cell in Kihiihi Town Council-Kanungu Distrcit, John Africa, has called for urgent government intervention to support residents and business owners affected by a destructive fire that gutted property along Barageine Street.
Speaking during a follow-up visit to the scene today morning, the chairman expressed deep sorrow over the losses suffered by residents and elaborated on the suspected cause of the fire, which is believed to have originated from the kitchen of Tawakkal Restaurant, one of the most popular eating places in the town council.
According to the Chairman the fire broke out after midnight catching many residents off guard as flames quickly spread to nearby rental buildings and businesses.
The Chairman further stressed the need for Kihiihi Town Council to establish it’s own fire brigade, noting that the absence of nearby firefighting equipment worsened the situation and residents were forced to wait for firefighters from Rukungiri District, located several kilometers away,by which time much of the property had already been destroyed.
Landlords Alexander Byaruhanga and Gad Musinguzi, whose buildings were affected by the fire, said both property owners and tenants incurred serious losses.
They stressed that several rental units and business spaces were damaged, leaving tenants without shelter and destroyed investments accumulated over many years and they appealed to government and relevant authorities to provide financial and recovery assistance.
Tenants Precious Kirabo and Apofia Kobusingye recounted how the fire reportedly started from Tawakkal Restaurant before spreading rapidly to surrounding rooms and they said they immediately alerted neighbors and evacuate property as flames intensified.
The fire eventually destroyed the kitchen section of the restaurant and damaged adjacent structures, leaving significant property losses but no reported fatalities but authorities are expected to conduct further investigations to establish the cause of the fire and assess the total volume of the damage.
Additional Reporting by Victory Tugume.
