An overnight fire has gutted an electrical shop in Mbarara City, leaving one person dead and destroying equipment worth millions of shillings.
The inferno at Bishop Wills building on Garage Street in Kakoba Division caused the death of the owner, Fred Tumusiime, 55, who was in the shop at the time of the incident.
Rwizi Region Police Spokesperson SP Samson Kasasira said the resident of Nyakaizi, Kakoba Division, sustained severe burn injuries and was rushed to Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead on Tuesday morning.
‘After we put out the fire, we found out that the owner of the shop, whose name is Fred Tumusiime, was in the shop at the time of the fire.”
Explaining that: ”He sustained serious burns and was critically injured and rushed to Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital by well wishes that got to the scene before us, and as we speak as of today morning he was pronounced dead at around 10 a.m. today.’
Police, Fire Rescue and Services managed to extinguish the fire before it spread to nearby buildings; however, the electrical shop was reduced to ashes.
Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing, SP Kasasira said.