Students of Rwabukoba Secondary School, Ruhinda Sub County, Rukungiri, western region of the country, have been left in tears after a massive fire burnt a girls’ dormitory, destroying property worth millions of shillings.
Police are still investigating the cause of the fire which started at around 3:30 am on Friday June 04.
“At around 30:30am, we received distress phone calls from the school Chaplain and the area LCI chairman reporting a fire outbreak at Kabukoba Secondary School in Rukungiri. Our fire brigade responded quickly and was able to contain the fire from spreading to other blocks,” Rukungiri District Police Commander SP, Moses Nanoka told this reporter via a phone call on Friday morning.
He said no casualties were recorded since students were sent home in March this year due coronavirus pandemic.
Nanoka warned residents to be vigilant on the safety of their property — noting that “many people are using this time to committee crimes”.
“We are yet to establish the exact extent of the damage. But if you have reached the scene (Rwabukoba Secondary School Fire incident), I’m sure you have seen it all, all the property inside including books, mattresses clothes basins etc etc were destroyed. It was a massive fire as you can see. But our officers contained it before spreading elsewhere,” Nanoka added.
Rwabukoba Secondary school dormitory being erased by a massive fire
Rev. Caleb Karabamu, Rwabukoba Secondary school Champlain, said the fire broke out in the wee hours of Friday morning June 6 at around 3:30am in a room where all female students had left their property.
He said all everything in room included mattresses, suite cases, basins and jerry cans were burnt to ashes.
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Rev. Karabamu said that police reached the school at around 4:15am when all the properties had perished but contained it from spreading to other areas.
Last month, there was stumped at Ntare School in Mbarara municipality as a raging fire ripped through the house of the school boss Jimmy Turyagyenda and destroyed a number of items.
Rwizi Region police spokesperson Samson Kasasira said there were still investigating the cause of the fire.
He said that police rushed on to the scene after a tip-off from the locals and the employee of the school.
