A midday fire on Friday scorched part of a staff quarters building at the Adjumani District Farm Institute (DFI) in Olia, Pakele Sub-county, after flames spread through overgrown bushes surrounding the facility.
The incident, reported around noon, caused panic among nearby residents, though no injuries were recorded.
No life has been reported lost.
Police are yet to issue an official statement on the matter.
Witness Bosco Mangwi said the fire began when some occupants burnt slashed grass after digging around the quarters, only for the flames to spread out of control due to the dry vegetation and the bushy, poorly maintained compound.
“The field had been slashed, and they burnt the dry grass, but the fire spread to the bushes because the place is in total bush,” Mangwi said.
Adjumani Resident District Commissioner Swaib Toko told this publication he was still awaiting a briefing from police regarding the incident.
Images from the scene show parts of the building blackened by flames, with smoke drifting across the compound.
Residents have blamed poor compound maintenance for the rapid spread of the fire and are urging management to clear the bushes and enforce safer waste-burning practices to prevent similar incidents.