Property destroyed as fire guts Christ Secondary School boys' dormitory

Property worth millions of shillings was destroyed after fire gutted a boys' dormitory at Christ Secondary School in Nyahuka town council, Bundibugyo District.

No casualties have been reported. The school head teacher Mr Peter Bwambale said the incident happened on Tuesday afternoon as students attended studies in their respective classes.

“We saw a lot of smoke from the boy's dormitory at around 2:30 pm as students attended studies in classes. We have not yet identified the cause of the fire but the electricity has been on and off so we suspect it might have been an electric short circuit," Bwambale said.

The affected property includes mattresses, beds, jerrycans, clothes, and money among others.

Bwambale said they tried to contain the fire but their efforts were futile since the fire spread too rapidly.

“The fire was spreading too fast, we tried to use water and soil to contain it but it was impossible. We did not manage to rescue any property and everything was burnt to ashes," Bwambale added.

Police later intervened but also looked on as the fire spread since the nearby fire brigade in Fort Portal City was not yet at the scene.

One of the school board members Mr. Godwin Tumusabe said they are happy no students were injured in this inferno despite the destruction of students' property.

“We’re going to have an emergency meeting to forge a way forward but I want to ask parents to stay calm”, Tumusabe said on Tuesday evening.

One of the students Akatwa Hannigton, said the fire started from one of the teachers' bedrooms.

The Bundibugyo police commander Mr Aggrey Okumu confirmed the incident and said police are still investigating the fire cause.

In 2021, a boy dormitory at Haven High School in Nyahuka town council, Bundibugyo District was also burnt to ashes under unclear circumstances.