By Cornes Lubangakene

OVER 1600 internally displaced people were left homeless when fire destroyed 313 huts in Koro Abiin Gulu district on Sunday.

“The fire was started by a deaf and dumb seven year-old-boy who lit a heap of grass which later spread to the huts, sparking off the fire. It burnt 304 huts in zone A of the camp. Nine more huts were burnt from Zone D,” the camp secretary, Francis Onekalit, said.

He cited 55-year-old Esther Adong who burnt her left arm as she tried to save her property. Other affected people included Julius Otto who lost sh250,000 meant for his children’s school fees, Olga Akello and Vincent Ojok who both lost sh180,000.

Thieves from otherzones took advantage of the fire and robbed the victims of their property.

Onekalit thanked the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Food Programme for providing relief items.

He appealed to other humanitarian organisations for more relief support ahead of the rainy season.
The area councillor, Joseph Okello, also thanked the UPDF soldiers who helped to put out the fire.