Traders count losses as fire ravages Adjumani shop

Adjumani, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Business operators in Adjumani Town Council are reeling from a devastating fire that destroyed merchandise worth millions of shillings. The affected commercial building, located along Wani Road in Central One Ward, housed various shops, boutiques, and the Baby Coach bus booking office, among others.

The fire, which started at around 1:00 am on Friday morning, reportedly started from a cooking stove before spreading to other shops. Preliminary reports suggest that a shop attendant, who was cooking at night, left a charcoal stove unattended after falling asleep, which sparked the fire.

Sabi Musamizi Obaliga, the LC 1 chairperson of the area, attributed the incident to the negligence of the shop attendant, stating that the fire started when clothes in the shop caught fire due to the unattended stove.

Samuel Wani, a business operator in the area, reported an estimated loss of merchandise worth 20 million Ugandan shillings.

Yusuf Ajidri Talibu, an employee of Baby Coach bus service, said they managed to rescue some company documents from the burning shop, but some customer properties were damaged in the process.

Lawrence Mangapi, the LC 3 chairperson of Adjumani Town Council, cautioned business operators against cooking inside their shops, highlighting the dangers of such practices.

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