Millions lost as fire guts Cham Towers

Mar 11, 2011

FIRE yesterday morning gutted several shops on Cham Towers, a city arcade, leaving property worth millions of shillings in ashes.

By Chris Kiwawulo, Pascal Kwesiga and Brenda Asiimwe

FIRE yesterday morning gutted several shops on Cham Towers, a city arcade, leaving property worth millions of shillings in ashes.

A thick cloud of smoke bellowed out of the shops in the basement of the former Uganda Commercial Bank building on Nkrumah Road, making it hard for the Police and vendors to access them.

The building belongs to city tycoon Karim Hirji and houses Stanbic Bank which took over Uganda Commercial Bank.

A combined team of fire fighters from Uganda Police and Fire Masters resorted to axes to break the glass to access the shops. Although the glasses had been broken, they failed to enter the shops on a first attempt, due to heavy smoke. They later found their way using high laser beam torches with masks.

At least 20 shops were affected in the fire, which eye witnesses said started at 7:30am on Friday morning. Witnesses said the fire started when a cleaner accidentally hit an electric cable inside Franz Screen printing shop, sparking of the blaze.

“Instead of containing the fire, the cleaner rushed to look for a fire extinguisher. By the time he returned, fire had spread to other shops,” one of the witnesses who declined to reveal his identity said.

Denis Richardson, the managing director of CLS computer depot said he could not yet establish how much he had lost in the fire.

“Everything in the shop was damaged. Unfortunately, my business was not insured,” said Richardson, who relocated his remaining appliances to his other shop at Uganda Manufacturers’ Association showground in Lugogo.

The smoke was so thick that it choked most of the onlookers who stood a distant 30 metres from the scene. Business on Nkrumah Road came to a standstill when Police cordoned off the route.

The fire caused panic among traders in the neighbouring shops, forcing them to evacuate their property.

Hassan Kitanda, the deputy chief fire officer said it took them about an hour to enter the building due to the thick smoke. He said they would investigate the cause of the fire.

Traders engaged in a bitter exchange of words with Karim’s employees who came to assess the extent of the damage.

“We have always asked these people to create an emergency exit and install fire extinguishers, in vain. They, instead, told us to vacate if we did not want the premises. All they know is asking for rent,” fumed Mohamed Mayombwe, who owns a saloon on the building.
A Police and Uganda Red Cross ambulance were on standby for any casualties.

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