Battery store catches fire at soda plant in Namanve
Authorities are still compiling a comprehensive report to establish the extent of the damage and the probable cause of the fire.
The cause of the blaze remains unknown, and no injuries have been reported so far. (File photo)
By Simon Masaba
Journalists @New Vision
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A fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday morning at the Coca-Cola plant in Namanve Industrial Park, gutting a battery storage facility.
According to police, the fire brigade was dispatched at around 3:30am on May 4, 2025, to reinforce the firefighting team already at the scene. The cause of the blaze remains unknown, and no injuries have been reported so far.
The incident was registered under reference SD 02/04/05/2025 at Mukono Police Station. Authorities are still compiling a comprehensive report to establish the extent of the damage and the probable cause of the fire.
In a separate incident, a house in Wantoni’s Kigolya Village, Mukono, was gutted by fire in the early hours of Sunday, May 4, 2025.
The police fire brigade responded to the distress call at 2:00am to support local firefighters battling the inferno. The fire, whose source remains unclear, destroyed property worth millions.
The case was recorded under reference SD 04/04/05/2025. No fatalities were reported, and police have launched investigations into the cause of the fire.
Double fire incidents hit Katwe on Saturday
Two separate fire incidents were reported in Katwe on Saturday, May 3, 2025, both prompting swift responses from police and firefighting teams.
The first incident occurred at 12:00pm at Ndeeba Timber Stores, where Police officers on patrol supported firefighting efforts to contain the blaze.
Later that evening, at around 5:00pm, another fire was reported along Salama Road where a house caught fire.
Police fire headquarters logged the incident under reference SD 16/03/05/2025. No casualties were reported in either incident. Investigations are ongoing.
Report
The Director of Fire and Rescue Services, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Stephen Tanui, has since revealed a 13.8% rise in fire incidents between 2023 and 2024.
Tanui said cases increased from 1,104 in 2023 to 1,280 in 2024. Of these, 1,150 were successfully handled, 120 were contained before the fire brigade’s arrival, and 10 turned out to be false alarms.
Tanui noted that 67% of the fires were reported between 6:00am and 12:00pm, while the rest occurred between midnight and dawn.
Most cases were in residential buildings (300) and makeshift structures (250). Notably, school fires rose by 9%, from 50 cases in 2023 to 55 in 2024.