Sunrise Hotel along Khamis Road in Kampala drew spectators as it was being consumed by fire
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Leaders in Kampala city have confirmed that up to three people have perished in a devastating fire at Sunrise Hotel on Khamis Road in downtown Kampala.
Twenty others were critically injured in the blaze that the Police Fire and Rescue Services team struggled to contain for five hours and whose cause is a still a subject of inquiry.
Minsa Kabanda, the minister for Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and Metropolitan Areas confirmed the fatalities, adding that survivors were rushed to several health care facilities to obtain medical attention.
“All efforts were made to save lives. The intensity of the fire led to several fatalities,” she said.
She called upon building owners in the city to put in place rescue apparatus such as fire extinguishers exit points and assembly points in case of fire outbreaks.
Sunrise Hotel ablaze
SSP Moses Nanoka, the Regional Police Commander for Kampala Metropolitan North, was non-committal about the number of the dead, saying he would issue a detailed report at a later stage.
Several ambulances belonging to the Uganda Police Force (UPF) and the Uganda Red Cross were seen evacuating survivors to hospital as the fire outbreak escalated.
Eyewitnesses said the fire originated from a soap-making outlet inside the building, as an explosion was reportedly heard moments before the it erupted.
