Properties worth millions lost as fire guts Ntungamo school dormitory
She said that by police fire brigade to come to their rescue all the students belongs were turned into ashes but no student lost in the fire or injured.
Ntungamo: A devastating fire has razed the boys’ dormitory at Rubaare Secondary School in Rubaare Town Council Ntungamo district, leaving students, teachers, and parents in shock.
The fire, which broke out on the evening of Friday, November 15, 2024, around 7:45 PM, destroyed the dormitory and all the belongings of over 120 students, many of whom were attending evening revision classes at the time.
The inferno completely destroyed personal items including mattresses, blankets, books, cases, clothes, beds, and even Senior Three students’ pass slips. Among the affected students were those from Senior One, Senior Two, Senior Five, Senior Six, and Senior Three. The dormitory, known as the Washington Dormitory, was home to a large group of students, and though the property damage was immense, fortunately, no lives were lost, and no injuries were reported.
According to Mr. Pidson Muhimbise, the hostel patron, the fire is suspected to have been caused by a lightning strike during a heavy rainstorm, which may have triggered an electrical short circuit in the building. By the time the fire brigade arrived, the entire dormitory and all of the students’ belongings had been reduced to ashes.
Ms. Mpeirwe Monic Atukunda, the headteacher of Rubaare Secondary School, confirmed the incident and expressed her concerns over the loss of essential school materials. She called for immediate support from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, and other well-wishers, as the students’ academic resources were entirely destroyed.
Senior Three student Bruno Niweahereza, who serves as the dormitory captain, expressed his worries about how the students will manage to continue their studies without their books and past papers. “We don’t know how we will be revising for our exams now that all our books and past papers have been burned,” he said.
The Board of Governors, including Chairperson Rev. Venerable Canon Yoram Akoragye and Lay Canon Ezekiel Tumwesigye, expressed their confusion and sorrow over the incident. They appealed to stakeholders and the local community for financial and material support to help the affected students resume their studies as soon as possible. Councillor John Kabeho, also a member of the Board, praised the fact that no students were injured or killed in the fire but stressed the urgent need for external help to address the immediate needs of the school.
The school management is calling on well-wishers, NGOs, and other organizations to come to the aid of the school and its students during this critical time.
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