Police probe fatal Kamuli school fire

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Police on Monday, May 26, 2025, said they were investigating a fire outbreak that claimed the life of a 12-year-old pupil and destroyed various items.

Busoga North Police region spokesperson, Micheal Kasadha, said the fire broke out at Balawoli Primary School in Balawoli town council, Kamuli district, on Sunday, May 25, 2025, at about 11:00 pm, destroying the boys' dormitory and reducing the pupils’ property to ashes.

“The deceased has been identified as Bernard Famba, a P5 pupil and son of the school matron. The fire breakout resulted in the destruction of various items, including mattresses and scholastic materials,” Kasadha said.

He explained that a preliminary assessment indicates that a short circuit may have caused the fire outbreak.

“At the incipient stage of the fire, the deceased was asleep, and by the time his two siblings ran to the school matron, he had been trapped in the dormitory as fire intensified, which led to his death. The matron was at the girls' wing, approximately 70 metres from the tragic scene.  A team of police officers led by the DPC responded to the scene and saved some property. The body was retrieved and delivered to Kamuli General Hospital mortuary for postmortem,” he added.

Kasadha said further investigations are underway to establish the exact cause of the fire outbreak.