Guns burnt as fire guts Hoima Police barracks
Police have kicked off investigations into circumstances under which fire gutted a Field Force Unit barracks in Hoima on Monday.
The incident according to police happened at around 2 am when a fire broke out in the house of Constable Simon Peter Odongkara on Monday as everyone slept.
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A number of items including two SMG rifles with 90 rounds of ammunition were burnt and these belonged to Odongkara and Boniface Ojuka Omara a colleague, with whom they shared the house.
The house that was gutted by fire in Hoima police barracks
Four pairs of Field Force Unit uniforms, five pairs of police gumboots, two pairs of ponjos , warm suits, warrant card, national IDs and metallic baton were also burnt in the fire.
However, according to Julius Hakiza, the Albertine region Police spokesperson, preliminary investigations pointed out to a mobile phone that had been left charging in the house as everyone slept.
Past incidents
In 2017, property worth millions of shillings was destroyed when fire gutted houses of police officers at Katwe Police Division in Kampala.
The fire started at around 9:30 am in a structure shared by several police officers when most of them had gone to work.
In 2018, a fire razed part of Kira Road Police station barracks before it was later put out.
Fires in police barracks are not something new because the housing units where officers reside are in a deteriorating condition making it easy for fire to catch them and in most cases, they are all razed down.
