In the previous years, most fire accidents would be recorded in commercial buildings, metal welding workshops, merchandise stores, timber, wood and furniture workshops. Mugisa explains that children who were left alone cooking using electric appliances like kettles and charcoal stoves ended up burning homes.
More than 1,000 fire incidents were registered in residential homes in 2020.
According to a report compiled by fire and rescue services headed by Joseph Mugisa, the police recorded 1,015 fire incidents last year and the majority of
them were in residential homes.
In the previous years, most fire accidents would be recorded in commercial
buildings, metal welding workshops, merchandise stores, timber, wood and
furniture workshops. Mugisa explains that children who were left alone cooking
using electric appliances like kettles and charcoal stoves ended up burning
homes.
At least 290 homes were burnt in 2020 according to Mugisa. Of
these, 173 houses were burnt by fires that started from charcoal stoves, 32
were burnt by electric appliances children left unattended to and 31 other
homes were burnt down by fires that ignited from overheating of electric
appliances such as flat irons and cookers.
//Cue in “in the year…
Cue out “…charcoal stove”//
Apart from homes, commercial buildings came second with 169 fire
incidents, makeshift structures recorded 150 fire incidents while electrical
installations and motor vehicle garages recorded 100 and 89 fire incidents
respectively.
Independent safety and health consultant, Herbert Kanyali, recently said that
there are many appliances in homes that could turn out to be very deadly
explosives.
Kanyali equated such tools and implements as a time bomb, and these include
Liquefied Petroleum Gas-LPG powered appliances like gas cookers, oven stoves,
microwave and pressure cooker.
But Kanyali tips that one can avoid deaths or injuries resulting
from home appliances by restricting usage of some gas or electric appliances by
children in the absence of adults who could help to minimize fatalities or
injuries.
“Such gadgets should not be used by children below 14 years
without the supervision of an adult to avoid disastrous
consequences. Secondly always ensure that before some of the gadgets are
used by young adults or even maids that they are properly trained,” Kanyali
said.
Fire incidents caused the death of at least 30 people while 151
were rescued, ponds, pit latrines and water bodies. Besides fires in homes,
most of the people rescued from pits were children.
The most highlighted fire incident of 2020 was the burning of the
Makerere University’s Main and historical building, the Ivory tower. This
building caught fire on September 20 at around midnight. The Ivory tower
housed houses the top administration of the University and other supporting
departments such as the Finance and public relations office among others.
“Investigations indicated that the fire started from the office of
the public relations officer. The roof was burnt off and the wall cracked. All
the offices on the top floor and some on the 2nd floor were burnt,” Mugisa said.
The fire also burnt vertically downwards destroying all the
offices below the office where the fire allegedly started from.
Mr Joseph Kato graduated with a Master's Degree of Art in Journalism & Communication on February 02, 2024 at Makerere University. He holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Journalism and Media Studies which he attained in 2023 at Oslo Metropolitan University in Norway.
Mr Kato holds a Bachelors Degree in Mass Communication from Kampala International University. The Master's Degree studies and a decade of journalism practice have enabled Mr Kato to be one of the reliable researchers in areas of conflict, r
