In a devastating turn of events, the City House Building on Luwum Street in Uganda's capital, Kampala city has caught fire and one person confirmed dead in blaze that erupted at approximately 8:30am on this gloomy Monday morning.
City House, a sprawling business and shopping complex known for housing various rentals, including the Democratic Party (DP) office, fell victim to the merciless flames, leaving behind a trail of destruction with merchandise worth millions of shillings going up in smoke.
Efforts to quell the inferno saw the deployment of seven fire trucks and officers from the Kampala Metropolitan Police, as confirmed by Luke Owoyesigyire, the deputy spokesperson.
"We have seven fire trucks with our officers deployed to contain the fire at City House shopping centre in Kampala," Owoyesigyire informed journalists on the scene.
As the flames raged on, tragedy struck, with ASP Owoyesigyire announcing the discovery of a life lost in the aftermath.
"One person so far confirmed dead today during the City House fire," he somberly reported.
Kampala Central Division Mayor, Salim Uhuru, responding to the catastrophe, urged property owners to equip their premises with firefighting equipment, emphasizing its critical role in mitigating damages caused by fire outbreaks.
“It’s a bad Monday. Unfortunately, the fire has caused a lot of damage here, but as KCCA we have come out with by-laws. All property owners must have fire extinguishers because that was supposed to be the first equipment to fight the fire before the police,” Mayor Salim expressed, reflecting on the importance of proactive fire safety measures.
Despite the valiant efforts to contain the blaze, the cause of the fire remains elusive, and the Uganda Police Fire Brigade continues their relentless efforts to extinguish the flames.
Attempts being made to rescue prostitutes who were stuck in the burning building at city house. pic.twitter.com/dxHnwUWZqf
— Med Villa (@MedVilla11) December 11, 2023
