Fire yesterday razed property worth millions of shillings at the luxurious Mazike Lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The fancy accommodation facility and one of the best in western Uganda is located in the Kyambura Escarpment.
Uganda Wildlife Authority says the fire destroyed two cottages, a restaurant, the kitchen and other property.
The cause of the fire, according to Bashir Hangi, the UWA Spokesperson, is still being investigated.
It however, started shortly after UWA staff carried out a controlled burning in the area.
UWA often conducts controlled burning to “counter wild fires that may cause extensive damage to wildlife and properties of communities in the area surrounding the Protected Area.”
In this instance, Hangi says UWA had been carrying out controlled burning for two days in the areas of Kafuro near the 309 UPDF Brigade headquarters in Kyambura Wildlife Reserve and between Fig Tree and Kyambura to the main road respectively.
“The controlled burning was preceded by a preparatory meeting on February 6, 2022 with all the Lodge owners/Managers within the Kyambura area to mobilize them with their staff and communities to prepare for the following day’s burning activity,” he said.
“In the afternoon of February 8, 2022, we received information that Mazike Lodge was burning. This was after the controlled burning activity in the park for the day had been concluded successfully.”
Hangi described the fire at Mazike lodge as “a very unfortunate incident that has befallen our partners in tourism at a time when the sector is beginning to recover from the effects of 2 years without working due to the COVID-19 lockdown.”
“We are cooperating with police as they undertake investigations to establish the source of the fire that gutted the lodge.”
