Fire on Monday morning gutted Rwizi Arch, a posh Hotel in Mbarara town, whose property worth millions of Shillings went up in flames.
The Hotel’s Operations Manager Hussein Kazibwe said the fire started from the kitchen and burnt most of the cutlery including the ovens and utensils before destroying the ceiling boards and office documents.
Locals stare at the burning hotel
Kazibwe said the amount of property that was consumed by the fire could not be immediately quantified.
The Hotel belongs to one Ismail Sekkande, a prominent businessman in the western municipality.
The Hotel’s Operations Manager Hussein Kazibwe says the fire started from the Kitchen
Police arrived in time but was unable to save numerous sections of the building from the flames.
Neighboring residents also rushed to the rescue and helped to hurl some of the unburnt items outside.
Police’s Fore Bregade arrived in time at the Hotel
No fatalities were reported although Chimpreports understands that one of the hotel workers collapsed in the billowing smoke and was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
The Mbarara District Police Commander Jaffar Magezi said that the cause of the fire was not yet known and that investigations were still ongoing.
DPC Jaffar Magezi speaking about the fire
He warned all the hotel owners to always leave compound space to enable clear entrance of the rescue teams when such hazards happen.