Mother of three burnt to death in ex-president Obote's home village

APAC – A mother of three, who was selling petrol, was burnt to death at Aluga trading centre, Akokoro parish in Akokoro sub-county, Apac district. Akokoro is the home of former President Apollo Milton Obote.

Reports indicate that the Sunday afternoon fire that consumed Sarah Ekit Ogwal, a businesswoman at Aluga also left her slightly over one-year-old child with serious burns.

Aluga LC1 chairperson Denis Ambrozoli Onapa said it was at about 12:30pm as the woman filled the plastic bottles with petrol when her child accidentally knocked one of them.

The petrol flowed towards a charcoal stove and on reaching it, gigantic fingers of flames rose up and engulfed the room leaving the child with serious burns.

The woman reportedly dashed into the bedsit to save her property but the jerrycan from which she was drawing petrol also exploded in flames.

Reports indicated that later, two other petrol-filled jerrycans in the house also exploded and the whole room was engulfed in flames.

Onapa said efforts to save the woman were futile as fumes and flames from the house were too much for anyone to dare enter the house.

“Within 10 minutes, people tried to break into the house from the rear, but the heat and fumes were too much for anybody to enter,” Onapa said on the phone on Sunday evening.

Onapa cautioned those selling fuel in their homes to make sure the store is separate from their houses.

He said several residents have started dealing in petrol in the trading centre due to the rising demand for the fuel.  

North Kyoga Police region spokesperson Patrick Jimmy Okema did not respond to requests for a comment about the incident.