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Message: [QUOTE="Nehanda, post: 27154, member: 2262"] A huge fire ripped through a seven-story building on Rashid Khamisi Road right in the heart of Kampala. Three people died in the blaze. It all started around 10:00 am in the basement shops of the Sunshine Hotel building. That's right near Namayiba Bus Park and the Swarayan Indian worship center over in Old Kampala. Daniel Nuwabine, the spokesperson for Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), said 17 people who got hurt were rushed to nearby hospitals like Kisenyi, Kiruddu and Doctor's Clinic. KCCA ambulances teamed up with the Red Cross and police for a big rescue operation. Nuwabine mentioned they sent 10 ambulances and five massive fire trucks to the scene. He said they're working hand in hand with the police and doing everything they can to handle the situation. Two bodies were found on the upper floors of the building. An eyewitness named Abas Mutale said one of them was a guy who died after jumping out a fifth-floor window trying to escape. Early investigations point to some chemical mixup in one of the shops as the cause of the fire. Henry Musazi runs an auto shop in the building. He thinks a new employee at another store accidentally mixed up some detergent chemicals the wrong way and started the inferno. Musazi explained that their colleague had just hired someone, and they probably messed up mixing the chemicals, which sparked the whole thing. Erias Lukwago, the Lord Mayor of Kampala, wasn't happy about how long it took the fire crews to respond. He said they were on the scene for over five hours before they got the fire under control. Lukwago blamed the government for not giving emergency services the equipment they needed. He said it's a huge wake-up call when a fire can burn that long in the middle of the city without being stopped. Lukwago called out the fire department for not having the right gear to do its job. The Lord Mayor was also really upset about the dangerous ways they tried to rescue people. He couldn't believe they told folks trapped on the sixth floor to jump onto mattresses on the ground instead of using safer methods. Patrick Onyango, the spokesperson for Kampala Metropolitan Police, said thick smoke from the fire quickly filled up hallways and rooms, which made it really hard for people to get out. Onyango confirmed one man died, but they haven't figured out who he is yet. He said billions of shillings worth of stuff got destroyed. The police are still out there working, and they'll give more updates later. The authorities are digging deeper to determine exactly how the fire started and how badly the damage is. [/QUOTE]

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