Property worth millions of shillings was destroyed after fire gutted Premidis Limited, a gin manufacturing factory in Arua district on Friday morning.
The blaze, believed to have been sparked by an electrical short circuit, broke out at around 10:00 am at the factory located in Kuluva along the Arua-Nebbi road. Premidis Limited, which began operations in 2013, manufactures Okapi Gin and exports most of its products to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
One of the Indian workers and shareholders, who declined to be named, said the fire had already consumed a large section of the factory by the time they arrived from Arua city.
Michael Munguacel, head of the regional fire and rescue services in Arua, said they were unable to salvage any property inside the main factory due to the lack of a nearby fire hydrant.
“We couldn’t save anything because the area has no hydrant, and by the time we arrived, the fire had spread too far,” Munguacel said.
The incident has renewed calls for better fire infrastructure in Uganda’s regional industrial zones, where firefighting efforts are often hampered by inadequate equipment and water sources.
