By Gilbert Akampa Kakurugu,
MBARARA
A devastating fire broke out at MP Best Quality Feed Factory in Mbarara city’s south division, in Nsikye Nyamitanga, on Tuesday night, destroying property worth billions of shillings. Fortunately, no lives were lost, but machines were razed down by the fire.
The Rwizi regional police spokesperson, SP Samson Kasasira, confirmed that a team of detectives is investigating the cause of the fire. The probe is ongoing, and no conclusions have been drawn yet.
Yovan Muhereza, the manager at the destroyed factory reported that the fire started around 11 p.m. on Tuesday, damaging several feed supplies and machines. Muhereza suspects foul play. He acknowledged reported that the Humanitarian Help for Uganda firefighters came to their rescue but managed to stop it from spreading to the neighboring premises.
Kenneth Arinda, an employee who usually sleeps at the factory stated that the fire originated outside the factory, further raising suspicions of malicious activity.
The police investigation will likely involve verifying the diagnosis of the fire’s cause, conducting descriptive details to understand the circumstances surrounding the outbreak, and generating enough information to determine the root cause.
“As the investigation unfolds, more information will become available. For now, the focus is on determining the cause of the fire and ensuring that measures are taken to prevent such incidents in the future” Kasasira concluded.
