A farmer at Seregea village in Likuyani Sub County is recuperating at hospital and at the same time counting losses after fire whose cause was yet to be established reduced his granary to ashes on Sunday afternoon.
Speaking to West FM on Monday, Mrs. Catherine Salago narrated how she received a distress call while in middle of a church service, which informed her about their burning grain store at home.
“My husband and I were forced to leave the church and rush home where we were dumbfounded at the sight of the huge fire that had already consumed more than three quarters of our grain store,” explained the devastated Mrs. Salago, adding, the ugly sight made her husband, Mr. Ezekiel Salago, to collapse.
“He rushed to Likuyani Sub County hospital by good Samaritans where he is currently on treatment,” she added.
The couple’s granddaughter, Diana Muhonja, who was at home at time of the incident, told West FM she was busy washing clothes before she heard a loud bang.
“When I turned my head towards the sound’s origin I was shocked to see a huge fire burning my grandparent’s granary,” she said.
The granddaughter raised an alarm that attracted neighbours and passersby to the scene but their attempts to quell the fire bore no fruits and it eventually brought down to ashes the whole building.
Though the exact cause of the inferno was yet to be established, Mrs. Salago, however, could not rule out possibility of their granary being set ablaze by a malicious arsonist, which at the time of the tragedy was holding 200 bags of maize and an assortment of farm equipment.
The incident was confirmed by Seregea sub location Assistant Chief, Mrs. Diana Owano, who assured members of the public that security agencies in the area had already launched investigations into the incident.
This is the fourth fire incident to happen in Likuyani and Lugari sub counties, three other fire related events have been reported in a span of less than two weeks, one in which a farmer at Mawe Tatu village in Likuyani lost property worth thousands of shillings after his granary was set on fire.
While still in Likuyani, another farmer is counting losses after his dairy animals were torched to death by unknown arsonist, with a similar happening been reported at Koromaiti village in Lugari where three houses, including a granary belonging to one farmer were set ablaze last week.
