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Nebbi, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A fire has gutted Nebbi Police barracks, leaving a number of officers and their families stranded and several household properties destroyed. The fire which started at around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday also burnt government stores including boots and uniforms.
Nebbi District Police Commander Bernard Mugerwa told Uganda Radio Network that the fire started in the house of one of the officers who were unreachable at the time, and spread to other rooms. It was contained almost an hour later, after the arrival of the Regional Fire Unit from Arua.
“The fire unit from Arua arrived late due to distance but we managed to stop the fire from spreading further to the whole barracks. He said they are currently compiling a comprehensive report on the matter
The blaze has affected eight officers including among others; a Police driver Onyuthwun Godwin whose room was completely burnt and Rogers Namanya, the OC traffic Nebbi Central Police Station, who had all travelled back home for the festive season.
Nicolas Natajja, the OC CID Nebbi Police Station says they are currently trying to acquire temporary shelter for the affected officers.
Nebbi Resident District Commissioner Christopher Omara has decried the absence of a fire unit in the district saying that often, the team from Arua arrives long after, sometimes, with nothing left to save.
“This business of calling people to come all the way from Arua… does not work. Sometimes they reach when the magnitude of damage is so fatal that there is no room for rescue, like in this case,” he said.
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