Fire guts Royal Paint factory in Kampala suburb

Fire guts Royal Paint factory in Kampala suburb
Fire on Wednesday 26, May 2021 broke out at Royal Paint factory in Makindye, a Kampala suburb

Kampala, Uganda | URN | Fire has gutted the Royal Paint factory in Rukulingada in Makindye, a Kampala suburb destroying property worth millions of Shillings.

The Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police Spokesperson Luke Owoyesyire says the fire at Royal Paint started from one of the paint stores in the factory. He said a team of officers from the Police Fire and Rescue Directorate are still trying to establish the cause of the fire.

According to Owoyesgyire, there are no reported deaths or injuries since all workers vacated the factory on time. “It’s under control. But these people should also be vigilant about their neighbourhoods. For instance, how do you set up a factory in a residential area?,” asked Owoyesigyire.

The Deputy Director Fire Safety and Emergency Services, Mr Hassan Kyanda told this publication that his team was still trying to establish the cause of the Wednesday 26th May 2021 morning fire that left property worth millions of shillings destroyed.

He, however, faulted the owner of the factory for setting up such a business in a residential area which he said puts the entire neighborhood at risk.

“This paint factory caught fire this morning but all I want to assure the people now is that there’s no cause for alarm. It’s under control. People should also be vigilant about their neighborhoods. For instance, how do you set up a factory in a residential area! This is very risky to the neighborhood. If the neighbors had reported to us (police) earlier, we would have come and inspected the factory for safety and perhaps advised him to relocate it,” he said.

“Factories are not supposed to be set up everywhere you find. There are designated areas for such businesses,” Kyanda said added.

Herbert Nsubuga, the area LC I chairperson says that they saw huge plumes of smoke as the fire ravaged the factory at around 10 am this morning.

Kasirye Nganda Mulyanyama, the Mayor Makindye division who was among the first responders has faulted the proprietors of the factory for setting up such a facility in a residential area which he says endangers the entire neighborhood.

He explained that efforts by the Police Fire team to extinguish the fire were hampered by the lack of access roads for an emergency.

Recently, Madhivani warehouses on 5th Street Industrial area caught fire which destroyed property including medical equipment belonging to the Joint Medical stores and medicine worth Shillings 7 billion.

The 2020 annual crime report compiled by the Police Fire and Rescue Services led by Joseph Mugisa shows that 1,015 fire incidents occurred last year. The majority of the fire broke out in residential premises.