The rate at which fire is gutting dormitories in schools is alarming, three incidents have been reported in one week alone.
On Tuesday night, students at Rushanje Girls School in Rwamapara district were left in tears after a fire gutted the girl’s dormitory, reducing their belongings to nothing.
The fire broke out at 8:00 pm at the Welfare Dormitory, accommodating 180 students. The girls had just exited the dormitory to do evening preps.
Gertrude Atukunda, the school Headmistress, says they first heard a loud burst before huge flames burst out in the middle of the dormitory. She says that they managed to put out the fire using water from a nearby tap and two fire extinguishers in her office.
Police reportedly arrived at around 11:40pm after the school had managed the fire. No student was injured or killed in the fire.
Steven Kamara, the Rwampara District Police Commander, says they are yet to establish the cause of the fire and have commenced inquiries.
This incident comes just hours after another fire broke out at a school dormitory in western Uganda.
On Monday night at 8:00pm, fire broke out at Haven High school boy’s dormitory in Nyahuka town council in Bundibugyo district destroying students’ property worth millions of Shillings. The affected property included mattresses, books, jerry cans, clothes, and money among others. No casualties have been reported.
The school head teacher, Christopher Nditakirani, said students were attending night preps and they suspect an arson attack because two teachers reportedly saw unidentified men moving behind the dormitory before the fire went off.
On Sunday night, students at Iganga High School were left counting losses after a ravaging fire destroyed their property worth millions to ashes.
The fire started at 9:00pm , spreading fast to two dormitories housing senior three and senior four male students.
The school did not report any fatalities as learners were attending evening revision (preps)at the time of the incident. However, property worth millions, including mattresses, books, shoes, clothing and other scholastic materials were burnt
Meanwhile on Friday last week, fire gutted a boys dormitory at Mbarara Senior Secondary School destroying property worth millions in shillings.
The fire which broke out at about 09:45 am on Friday morning ravaged through Nyerere House boy’s dormitory that houses 78 learners in Senior one two.
Rwizi Regional Police Spokesperson Kasasira Samson says the Police Fire brigade was able to get there in time stopping the spread of fire to other dormitories nearby.
This is the second school dormitory to burn in less than a week. On Friday last week, a fire gutted another dormitory at Mbarara Secondary School in Mbarara City.
