12-year-old pupil dies in Kamuli school dormitory fire tragedy

26 May 2025, 13:06

By Ali Lukomo

The territorial police in Kamuli are investigating the cause of fire outbreak in which a 12 year old pupil perished and various items destroyed.

Fire broke out at Balawoli Primary School in Balawoli town council, Kamuli district yesterday at around 11:00 pm, leaving the boys’ dormitory destroyed and reducing the pupils’ property to ashes.

The deceased has been identified as Famba Bernard, a P. 5 pupil and a son to the school matron.

The fire breakout resulted into the destruction of various items, including mattresses and scholastic materials.

Preliminary assessment indicate that a short circuit may have caused the fire outbreak. At the incipient stage of the fire, the deceased was asleep and by the time his two siblings ran to the school matron, he had been trapped in the dormitory as fire intensified, which led to his death. The matron was at the girls’ wing, approximately 70 metres from the tragic scene.

A team of police officers led by the DPC responded to the scene and saved some property. The body was retrieved and delivered to Kamuli General Hospital mortuary for postmortem.

Further investigations are underway to establish the exact cause of the fire outbreak