RONALD N
Residents of Kihihi Town Council are in shock and fear after a devastating fire partially destroyed the well-known Tawakkal Restaurant along Barageine Street in the early hours of Sunday morning.
According to eyewitnesses and local sources, the fire is suspected to have started from the restaurant’s kitchen. However, authorities had not yet released an official statement confirming the exact cause of the incident by the time of filing this report.
Musinguzi Guard, one of the affected residents, said he received an alarm at around 2:00 a.m. that his house had caught fire, prompting him to rush to the scene. He expressed frustration over what he described as a delayed response from local leaders, alleging that failure to deploy a fire truck in time led to significant property loss.
Kirabo Precious, who operates a salon in the same building, revealed that she narrowly escaped losing her property. She called upon the government to intervene and support the affected business owners in recovering from the losses.
Speaking on the same matter, John Africa, the LC1 Chairperson of Rutwe Cell, explained that reports from residents indicate the fire began at Tawakkal Hotel before spreading to neighboring buildings, reducing a substantial amount of property to ashes.
Despite the challenges, residents joined efforts to salvage property and attempted to contain the flames using water from nearby public taps. However, their intervention was not sufficient to stop the blaze, which eventually destroyed the kitchen section of the restaurant and parts of adjacent buildings.
By the time of compiling this report, no fatalities had been recorded. Authorities are expected to launch investigations to establish the exact cause of the fire and assess the extent of the damage.
