Why fire outbreaks are rampant in Kalangala

Fire outbreaks have become common in Kalangala District, with police records indicating that at least one incident is recorded in one island every month.

The latest incident occurred on October 31, leaving property worth millions of shillings destroyed at Lutoboka Landing Site in Kalangala Town Council.

In the past 10 months, nine fire incidents have occurred in seven landing sites.

Despite the danger of fire outbreaks, authorities are yet to find a lasting solution to the crisis.

When 13 houses were burnt at Mawaala Landing Site on June 10, local leaders from the previously affected landing sites launched a fundraising drive to buy light duty water pumps for the landing site, but the campaign failed to  kick off.

Unlike the mainland where most fires are blamed on either arsonists or short circuits, most infernos in Kalangala are a result of inflammable fuel which islanders store in their wooden houses.

Mr Joseph Mugisa, the police director for fire and rescue services, urges residents to desist from cooking in wooden houses, which also keep petrol for their boat engines.

“It is suicidal to keep petrol in a house which also serves as a kitchen. We advise leaders of beach management units to establish a place at every landing site where they can put firefighting equipment, including sand in case of fire outbreak. They should always enforce such precautions,” he says.

Mr Mugisa adds that local leaders must also identify a centralised place away from homesteads to keep petrol.

“Storage of items like petrol and charcoal, which are the reported key causes of fire outbreaks, has to be checked, such items need to be kept in separate houses at least 50 metres away from their homes,” he says.

“It’s quite expensive to construct a brick house in the islands, but let them leave some space while erecting their wooden structures to avoid fire from hastily spreading,” he adds.

According to Mr Mugisa, the police fire directorate is in advanced stages of establishing a modern fire station in Kalangala. Mr Rajab Ssemakula, the district chairperson, says some residents have failed to embrace their solutions. 

The district is now proposing an ordinance that bars islanders from storing petrol in their wooden structures.

“We are proposing to have underground fuel tanks at all landing sites and drop this old practice where people store jerry cans of fuel under their beds,” the district chairperson explains.

Mr Ssemakula says many landing sites are in buffer zones where the National Environment Management Authority prohibits permanent structures.

However, at some landing sites such as Mwena and Kitobo, some residents have already got approved building plans.

“Our planning committee will soon sit to see how they can redesign all landing sites to fight fire outbreaks,” Mr Ssemakula adds.

The island district lacks a motorised fire engine. Recently, local leaders asked government to provide them with a fire engine or fire fighting boats, saying the district lack funds to procure such equipment.

Past fire incidents

Some of the previous fires in Kalangala District this year include:

January 9: Two people sustain severe injuries when fire guts Nkese Landing Site. The inferno also destroys seven houses with fishing nets and other gear.

March 13: More than eight houses are burnt in Mwena Landing Site. Witnesses attribute the fire to a resident who left a burning stove inside the house.

March 28: A fire guts a restaurant at Brovad Sands Lodge in Kalangala Town Council.

May 10: A fire guts a section of Lukuba Landing Site, Kyamuswa Sub-county, forcing 300 residents to spend the night in the cold.

The fire destroys 104 houses.In the same month, four wooden kiosks are burnt at Bugala B village in Kalangala Town Council.

June 10: Fire guts houses at Mawaala landing site.

October 12: Several wooden houses and shops are razed at Bubeke -Lwaazi Landing Site.

 October 31: A fire breaks  out at Lutoboka landing site destroying property, including shops, residential structures, and a beach management unit office. Other fire incidents happened in Mwena and Kyagalanyi landing sites.

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