Overview:
The inferno consumed carpentry and timber workshops, mechanical garages, food stalls, and the makeshift homes of residents, leaving a trail of charcoal and twisted iron sheets.
Dozens of traders are reeling from significant financial losses after a massive fire swept through the Mini-Triangle zone in Kawempe Division, destroying several businesses and informal residences. The blaze, which broke out around 1:00 PM, tore through a densely packed area measuring approximately 100×200 meters.
The inferno consumed carpentry and timber workshops, mechanical garages, food stalls, and the makeshift homes of residents, leaving a trail of charcoal and twisted iron sheets. While the official cause is still under investigation, victims on the ground offered differing accounts of how the disaster began. Elidad Nywevu, a furniture maker who lost stock worth five million shillings, suspects the fire may have been ignited by a discarded cigarette or a cooking stove from a nearby restaurant.
However, Ivan Kyanda, a timber dealer in the same zone, attributed the disaster to electrical sparks from the area’s power lines.
Godfrey Okobo, the police supervisor for fire rescue operations, noted that the area was a “tinderbox” due to extreme congestion and the highly flammable nature of the materials stored there, such as timber, mattresses, and finished furniture.
He stated that preliminary findings indicate the area was highly combustible and the density of timber houses made it nearly impossible to contain the spread quickly, adding that a full report will be released following a forensic investigation.
Last year, another fire outbreak burnt down timber shops at Bwaise business complex, leaving traders with multiple losses.
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