Fire breaks out at Kasubi Tombs

Fire trucks at Kasubi tombs, Rubaga Division in Kampala following reports of a fire outbreak on June 5, 2020. PHOTO BY MICAHEL KAKUMIRIZI

A hut inside Kasubi Tombs on Friday caught fire.
Police say the fire was extinguished before it could cause any serious damage.
"There was a minor fire out break at Kasubi tombs in one of the huts, which was quickly extinguished by our officers from the Directorate of Fire and Rescue Services, Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Mr Patrick Onyango, said in a statement.
He said the fire broke out at about 1 pm in one of the structures that are meters away from the main hut that houses several tombs.
Police were informed and four fire tenders were dispatched to handle the incident.
"The fire crew reached and extinguished the fire. The cause of the fire outbreak is not yet established," Mr Onyango said.

People standing near Kasubi tombs gate following reports about a fire outbreak on June 4, 2020. PHOTO BY MICHAEL KAKUMIZI


He said that investigations had started to establish the cause of the fire outbreak.
Dozens of people have gathered outside the tombs.
The kingdom's information minister Noah Kiyimba said that one of the houses housing spirits of the Buganda royal twins caught fire.
“However, the twins are safe because they were not affected by the fire,” he told journalists.
Kasubi tombs, were on March 16, 2010, burnt by a mysterious fire.
Later, the kingdom started a fundraising campaign dubbed Etofali in Uganda and abroad to reconstruct the tombs. Several local and international agencies supported the drive.
To date, construction work is incomplete.

This photo taken on June 5, 2020 shows Buganda kingdom information minister Noah Kiyimba gesturing after arriving at Kasubi tombs, Rubaga Division in Kampala following a fire outbreak. PHOTO BY JAMES KABENGWA


The Kasubi tombs were torched just nine years after the facility was declared a world heritage facility by Unesco.
The tombs were established by Ssekabaka Mukaabya Walugembe Muteesa I in 1856.