Simon Peter Korobe, a resident in the same village told URN that although no life was lost in the inferno, all the properties including little food that were stored has been completely burnt into ashes.
At least 33 households in Acherer
village in Loputuk sub county Moroto district are spending nights in the cold
after wildfire razed their houses.
The fire whose source is not clear
broke out on Tuesday at around 1: 00 pm, destroying several grass thatched
houses and domestic animals such as goats, chicken and pets among others.
Maria Napeyok, one of the people whose hose was burnt down says the fire broke out in the time when she had gone to collect
firewood in the nearby bush only to see fire coming out from the
direction of her settlement.
Napeyok said she has lost
everything in the house because by the time of the inferno, there was no
responsible person to rescue the situation.
‘’All the people here had gone for
their daily jobs, others in town, some in the bushes to burn charcoal. So we
all returned only to find the mess, explained Napeyok.
Albert Ngoya, another victim, said
he had lost over ten goats and chicken during the fire outbreak and this happened
when he was away from home.
Ngoya said the goats were found
resting under the huts and they could not run
away because of the wooden fence around the home.
Simon Peter Korobe, a resident in
the same village told URN that although no life was lost in the inferno, all
the properties including little food that were stored has been completely burnt
into ashes.
Korobe said he was shocked to
return home from Town only to find that all houses in the settlements were
erased and people were just standing from bare ground stranded.
//Cue in : ‘’so I went also there……
Cue out : ‘’…………is burning up to
now.’’//
John Komba, the Acherer parish
chief in Loputuk sub county Moroto district confirmed the incident saying that
people are in dire need of emergency support since all the household items were
erased into ashes.
Komba said the community failed to
put off the fire due to strong wind driving the flames and as a result
everything got burnt.
He also observed that the fire
might have originated from the garden that was 350 meters away from the
settlement because there was a farmer who was clearing his garden while burning
some shrubs.
Komba said the wind seems to have
carried the fire and dropped into the settlement causing the inferno that
spread in all the huts.
He appeals to all the well wishers
and government to rescue the affected families with at least blankets , relief
food, tarpaulin and other household items for starting up a new life.
//Cue in : ‘’all houses got
burnt…….
Cue out : ‘’………how fire
started.’’//
Many homes in Karamoja get burnt by
wildfire during the dry season due to rampant hunting of rats by the locals and
burning of bushes to allow fresh grass to grow for livestock.
In January 2023,
another 33 homes in Moroto district were burnt by fire leaving several
residents stranded after a phone battery left charging on a solar panel
exploded into flames.
