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Fire destroys cotton worth Shs45 million
Workers of Rwenzori Cotton Ginnery at the store in Kasese Town after the fire, that burnt 30 tonnes of cotton, had been put out on Tuesday. PHOTO BY ENID NINSIIMA
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Mr Ampiire added that if the people who were in the store by the time fire broke out made effort to fight it instead of fleeing, it could have been stopped.
KASESE- Fire has gutted a store in Kasese District, destroying about 30 tonnes of cotton.
The incident occurred on Tuesday in a store in Kasese Town owned by Rwenzori Cotton Ginnery.
The burnt cotton is estimated to be worth Shs45 million, according to the ginnery manager, Mr Paul Ampiire.
Police, the ginnery employees and workers at Hima Cement Factory made frantic efforts to extinguish the fire but by the time they succeeded, much damage had already been done.
Mr Ampiire added that if the people who were in the store by the time fire broke out made effort to fight it instead of fleeing, it could have been stopped.
“When our causal labourers saw the fire coming out, they took off, leaving the situation to go out of hand instead of fighting it. But I am grateful that we have managed to save a lot with the help of police and well-wishers who came to our rescue,” Mr Ampiire said.
The ginnery employs more than 200 causal labourers daily. Mr Yonah Muhindo, an employee who oversees the weighing scale in the ginnery, said the fire started at around 2pm and was extinguished at around 4pm.
“I was here at the weighing scale, I saw smoke coming out of the store before workers started running out. We started rescue missions but the situation was out of hand. Our boss called police to come and help us,” Mr Muhindo said.
Kasese District Police Commander Bob Kagarura said: “We have a lot of suspicion. Our fire tender personnel are on ground to establish the cause of the fire.”
