WATCH: Fire guts Kakira Sugar stores in Jinja

Fire has gutted the stores of Kakira Sugar Works in Jinja District. PHOTO/ COURTESY 

A huge fire on Friday evening consumed Kakira Sugar Limited's general stores in Jinja District in eastern Uganda.

The Supplies Department, as the stores is known, is the main stores in Kakira where virtually everything procured for day-to-day operations -- apart from heavy machinery -- is first stored before they are distributed to a nucleus of sections.

By 10pm Friday, firefighters were still battling to contain the raging inferno that started more than two hours earlier, to prevent it from spread to the main sugar mill that is just 50 metres away. 

This reporter saw as many as three firefighter trucks as well Kakira's equipment battling the blaze that had already engulfed the entire two-storey stores.

The Supplies Department is Kakira's biggest stores where every procured utility that can be housed is first kept before they are distributed to final sections. From stationery to computers and fridges to bicycles and motorcycles, the stores is a billion-shilling warehouse.

Police said they are still investigating the exact cause of the fire but no injuries deaths were registered. The losses in terms of monetary value is yet to be determined by the relevant authorities,although the losses are severe due to the intensity of the fire, police said.

“Massive fire broke out at the main stores, commonly known as the supplies department building yesterday, May 27. The stores contained all supplies for the Kakira sugar factory located in Kakira town council, Jinja district.  Items like spare parts for the motorcycles, vehicles, stationary items, posho, fridges, etc were burnt to ashes. Kiira regional fire tenders, and the beef up from Busoga East region, private companies like Nile Agro and the firefighting services for the factory effectively put out the fire, prevented it from spreading to the Kakira petrol station, behind stores and the sugar stores. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be established, no injuries and no death registerd. The losses in terms of monetary value is yet to be determined by the relevant authorities though the losses are severe due to the intensity of the fire. Investigations ongoing,”Kiira region police spokesperson, Mr James Mubi said.