Behind the rampant city home fires

Kampala- At least 10 or more people have perished in home fires in the last one month in Kampala Metropolitan area covering Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono districts.

The latest incident, which occurred last Thursday in Lugala-Ssugu village, Mpatta Sub-county in Mukono District, left a mother and her three children dead after a fire gutted their house at night.

Grief-stricken residents identified the deceased as Jamila Namusisi, 26, and her three children; Moreen Namusoke, Shamira Namirembe and one Shakira.

However, there were uncoordinated accounts of the cause of the incident as some locals insisted it was caused by a burning object such as a candle or lamp inside the house.

Others claimed a jerrycan of petrol was found abandoned at the scene, creating an impression that the house had been set ablaze by an unidentified person.

Ms Julian Nakakande, a resident, said she smelt petrol at about midnight when she had just entered her house. Minutes later, she saw fire ravaging Namusisi’s house.

“We rushed to rescue them but the fire was too much since the heartless person(s) had poured petrol around the door and windows,” Nakakande claimed.

She said she tried to shout Namusisi’s name and she replied that she was rescuing her children but did not hear her speak again.

Kasangati
The Mukono incident comes on the heels of ongoing investigations into other incidents in Katwe, Kasangati and Kansanga where lives were lost in house fires caused by unknown objects.

In Kasangati Town Council, a fire gutted the home of a 75-year-old Joyce Nakiwala, burning her to death.

The Kampala Metropolitan deputy police spokesperson, Mr Luke Owoyesigyire, said Nakiwala died in a fire suspected to have resulted from a charcoal stove that was not attended to. Investigations into the incident revealed that the deceased was disabled and could not move without support.

According to police, at the time of the incident, the deceased was alone in the house. Police fire brigade and locals extinguished the fire but it was too late to save her life. The police director for Fire and Rescue directorate, Mr Joseph Mugisa, said many people, especially children, the elderly and sick have perished in fire incidents because there was no one to help them out.

According to Mr Mugisa, sometimes parents lock their children in houses as they go for work but leave candles burning , kettles or TV sets connected to power sources.

“Many children have died in these fires because they were too young to save themselves. Most of these children are always below seven years and such children cannot save themselves when fire breaks out,” he explained.

Mr Mugisa’s explanation relates with the Katwe incident where four-year-old Ketrah Nabatta was last month killed by fire that gutted the house in which she was sleeping in Kinyolo Katwe, Kampala suburb.

The Katwe incident came a day after Nakiwala’s death in Kasangati. Residents in Katwe alleged that the deceased’s mother often locked her inside the house with a burning candle while going to party.

Eyewitnesses said the fire started at around 8pm and by the time the police fire brigade arrived 30 minutes later, she was dead.

Locals charged at the deceased’s mother who returned almost two hours later but was saved by local leaders and relatives.

However, she refuted claims of abandoning her child in house but insisted it was an electric short circuit.

Mr Mugisa said families are perishing in fires because they in live in overcrowded houses where everything that makes one’s life thrive is squeezed inside.

“You find a family living in a single room where beds, cushioned chairs, TV sets are near cable wires or electric sockets. Some use flat irons and electric kettles in that crowded room. The heat produced by these electric appliances ends up lighting cushioned chairs, curtains or mattresses,” he says.

Kansanga
Preliminary investigations into the Kansanga incident where Annet Tusasirwe died with her three children revealed that the house was overcrowded and she often lit a candle to provide light throughout the night since she was breastfeeding an eight-month baby.

Tusasirwe death gripped residents of Nabutiti Village, in Kansanga Parish, Makindye East constituency and some asked to be helped to connect their houses with electricity.

Police identified the other victims as Elijah Akanwasa 10, Musa Kyakuha, 5, and Rebecca.

“We were told by neighbours that the mother often used a candle and even on that night she had lit one,” Mr Owoyesigyire said.

AIGP Mugisa said it is always difficult to save lives in cases like Tusasirwe’s because the houses are almost intertwined which makes it difficult for firefighting trucks and firefighters to access the premises.

“Many of our people are living in slums and there is no easy access when a fire strikes. Houses are too close to each other. You struggle to reach the burning house,” he said.

The Kansanga incident happened a year after a fire gutted a makeshift shelter, leaving three children dead in similar incident in Makindye Keleziya Zone. Their father was reportedly out at a drinking joint at the time of the incident.

Away from candles and crowded houses, Martin Tata, a builder and an electrician, attributes home fires to loose connections and substandard electrical appliances.

“Ugandans prefer cheaper things and they don’t bother about quality. They will leave a flat iron of good quality that costs Shs30,000 and buy one of Shs10,000. Substandard electric appliances are good at producing too much heat which often causes fire,” Mr Tata said.

Mr Mugisa said those fire incidents that claim lives of children have occurred during holidays where children are often left alone at home watching TV, cooking or ironing.

He advised the public to stop cooking from inside houses, especially if the house is crowded, avoid leaving electric appliances on if not in use.

REGISTERED INCIDENTS

A total of 1,099 fire emergencies were handled in 2017 compared to 1,356 in 2016, giving a 19 percent decrease.
The police report indicated that most of the fires were registered in Kampala Metropolitan Area with Makindye leading by 111 cases followed by Wakiso at 93, Kampala Central at 82, Rubaga and Kawempe with 43 each. Nakawa Division had, 39 fire cases, Mpigi, 26, Mukono, 20, and Entebbe, 18.

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