Fire leaves 500 people homeless

Men and women break down wood fences to stop the spread of the fire that left about 500 people homeless By Olandason Wanyama         A massive fire razed down five settlements in Karamoja on Saturday, leaving over 500 people homeless. The three-hour blaze began in Nawanatau village in Komeret parish, Nadunget sub-county in Moroto district. It later spread to the neighbouring villages. Elderly women wailed as dark smoke engulfed the remote villages, sending signals of calamity to other settlements. Daughters struggled with their mothers who preferred suicide to witnessing their property being reduced to ash. The men dismantled huts and fortified fences to stop the fire but all their energy was in vain. Paulo Oitakol said the fire started when a girl was preparing porridge in their family hut at 2:00pm. “A whirlwind drove the fire from the fireplace onto the hut,” he explained. The whereabouts of the girl is unknown. The Police saved her mother from being lynched by residents. Oitakol said because of the strong winds blowing across Karamoja, the fire spread very fast. “We could not help ourselves,” he said. Oitakol said residents lost cooking utensils, water containers, poultry and personal belongings in the inferno. He appealed to the Government and donor agencies to support the affected families. The LC2 chairperson of Komeret parish, Peter Erobobo, described the disaster as unfortunate. “Getting grass and poles is quite difficult since the dry season has begun,” he said. Erobobo said the Police arrived at the scene early but lacked fire-fighting equipment to contain the inferno. “They would have put out the fire if they were equipped.” The Moroto district Police commander, Richard Anyama, asked residents to relocate to the nearby community school. “For purposes of security of property and young children, we can move to the school compound,” he urged. Anyama advised the Karimojong to be careful while handling fire at home. He appealed to the Government to send fire trucks to the districts, saying fires were common in the area. On Friday, 99 families in Lotome sub-county, Napak district lost all their household property to the wild fires that are now ravaging the sub-region.