About a dozen bar and restaurant businesses in Nyabugogo incurred severe losses due to a fire outbreak on Monday night. According to eye witnesses the fire started at about 11 pm, catching the third floor of the Inkundamahoro building, a facility belonging to a traders’ corporative, and it burned until around 3 am. No injuries were sustained or lives lost in the incident but businesses counted heavy losses as so little was salvaged from the fire, despite police and fire brigade making it to the spot around midnight. According to Francois Gasasira, the Chief Security Officer at the building, by the time the fire was extinguished it had destroyed about 2 salons, 5 restaurants and four bars – all on the third floor. The floor also housed a betting house, but it was not affected by the fire. Gasasira told The New Times in an interview that according to findings so far, it is suspected that the fire might have been sparked off by a charcoal stove which was left alight in one of the rooms of the building. According to the building management, evaluations are underway to establish how much was lost due to the fire. The past two months have been much characterised by fire outbreaks in the city. In June alone, about 5 fires were registered especially in the famouscarpentry hubs of Gisozi and Kimironko.
