Bosco Okello, a store keeper at the facility told Uganda Radio Network in an interview Saturday that the fire started from one of the air conditioning units installed at the drug store.
Health workers and Amuru Resident District Commissioner Geoffrey Osborn Oceng inspect the burnt main drug store at Atiak Health Center IV in Amuru district on March 15 2025.
Security personnel in Amuru district have commenced investigation into the cause of a devastating fire that razed down Atiak Health Center IV main drug store in Atiak Town Council.
The fire reportedly broke out at about 2 AM Saturday and quickly engulfed the whole building burning down drugs and medical supplies worth millions of shillings.
Bosco Okello, a store keeper at the facility told Uganda Radio Network in an interview Saturday that the fire started from one of the air conditioning units installed at the drug store.
Okello noted the fire started from same unit which exploded and caught fire in March last year but only caused minor damage.
According to Okello, the air conditioning unit was last year replaced by a contractor that built the facility and suspects the latest incidence could be due to short circuit.
Alfred Opira, an orthopedic officer at the Health Center said efforts to contain the fire were hindered by the slow response of police fire brigade from Elegu.
Opira said the fire fighters arrived at 4 AM, but failed to contain the fire after their water got finished.
Opira said the fire gutted down all medicines at the drug store including those that were just delivered on Wednesday from the National Medical Store (NMS).
The newly delivered drugs are estimated to be worth over 21 million shillings. Opira expressed fears that patients especially those receiving much needed medicines such as Antiretroviral (ARV) drugs may be more affected.
Geoffrey Osborn Oceng, the Amuru Resident District Commissioner who visited the scene noted that investigation into the cause of the fire incidence had begun.
Oceng reiterated that although the police fire fighters responded to the incidence, they couldn’t put off the fire due to the limited capacity of the fire truck.
He noted that attempts to get firefighting trucks from Atiak Sugar factory were also hampered by bureaucracies.
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Oceng said three people have so far been detained for questioning at Atiak Police Station. Those detained include the health facility’s watchman, store keeper and the drug store supervisor.
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Only a handful of items had been rescued from the drug store by the time of filing this story.
Atiak Health Center IV serves the wider population of Kilak North Constituency with a catchment population of over 20,000 people.
