A fire incident occurred at Masaka Secondary School in Masaka City on Tuesday morning, leading to the destruction of a girls’ dormitory and valuable student property. The cause of the fire, which started at around 8 am while students were asleep, remains under investigation by local authorities.
The fire was highly destructive, engulfing the entire dormitory and consuming items such as mattresses, shoes, suitcases, clothes, and books. A female student identified as Sumayyiyah described the initial moments, mentioning that the fire rapidly spread due to the presence of highly flammable mattresses.
The affected dormitory was a two-story building and accommodated 47 Senior Five and Six students. Fortunately, the ground floor of the dormitory remained unaffected by the fire.
Hajj Musa Musoke Mpungu, the school’s head teacher, assured parents that all students are safe, with only two girls fainting due to the incident. He also mentioned that the fire brigade team arrived promptly, preventing the fire from spreading to other buildings. The school administration is cooperating with the police, who suspect that an electrical short circuit might have caused the fire.
Jamada Wandera, the Southern regional acting police spokesperson, stated that their team is actively working to gather more information to determine the exact cause of the fire. He urged parents to remain calm, as the situation is now under control.
Masaka Secondary School, founded in 1954, is one of the largest secondary schools in the country, boasting a student population of 4000, with the majority being day scholars.
