Africa-Press – Uganda. Traders at Kilembe Quarters in Kasese Municipality, Kasese District are counting losses following the Saturday night fire that gutted maize and cassava-milling factory destroying properties worth millions of shillings.
The fire that started at around 9pm, according to an eyewitness, resulted from an electric short circuit within the milling factory.
The fire burnt into ashes two milling machines and over 50 sacks of maize and cassava that were in the store.
Mr Sabuni George, an eye witness who works next to the burnt store said by the time fire started, majority of the traders had gone home following a heavy downpour.
“We tried to contain the fire in vain until the police fire brigade responded and by the time they arrived, everything had turned to ashes. No one was injured,” he said.
“All my five bags of 100kg cassava each costing Shs 200,000 have been burnt, I don’t know where to start from, it is where we could get school fees for our children and everything to sustain our families. This is a calamity to us in this current economic situation,” Ms Lazeri Terangoma, one of the cassava dealers said.
Ms Rusia Biira, another trader said they are worried about the remittance of their loans since they have been carrying out their business with money borrowed from different financial institutions.
The Kasese Municipality Central Divisional chairperson, Mr Martin Safari, said the owners of such processing plants need to install fire warning bells and electricity regulators at their operation sites to avoid fire outbreaks.
“The regulators might help reduce the pressure because this deadly incident is likely to have been caused by electricity,” he said.
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