Textile operators in Hoima town are counting loses after their merchandise was reduced to ash on Sunday night following a fire outbreak. Eye witnesses say the fire broke out at about 2am in a building along Wright Road that houses three textile shops.
It is estimated that textile worth shillings 50 million was burnt down. Raymond Kusiima, the proprietor Just Wear Fashion Centre, one of the burnt shops is not sure what could have started the fire. Kusiima explains that he closed at about 9pm on Sunday and switched off all the power connections.
//Cue in “in fact……….”
Cue out “……stranded just”//
The sobbing Kusiima explains that he only got a call from a friend at 2am informing him of the fire. He says on arrival the police fire brigade was already at work despite the fact that most of the merchandise was already burnt.
Kusiima says that he lost merchandise worth 14 million shillings, other shillings 2.8 million in cash that he had prepared to go for a business trip in Kampala.
Fred Mugisa of Mugisa and Sons Limited the neighboring shop says he lost 1.2 million shillings in cash in the fire while the burnt business is valued at 17 million shillings. This morning, the fire victims and their friends were trying to sort out a few of the remaining merchandize as the shocked crowd looked on.
URN reporter could not readily talk to the third victim at the time, but her business associates say she lost property worth 10 million shillings. Meanwhile the victims have ruled out a possibility of a power short circuit as they had all the power connections switched off on Sunday evening.
Augustine Kasangaki, the Hoima district police commander says the police fire section is still investigating the cause of the fire.
