Owino traders reconstruct stalls after the fire. PHOTO BY STEPHEN WANDERA  

In 2009, when fire gutted and destroyed Park Yard and part of St. Balikuddembe Market, Police attributed the failure to put out the fire in time to shortage of enough fire engines and other equipment. They had nine engines then, most of them were operating beyond their recommended lifespan.
To avert the same challenges in future, government procured 20 new fire engines and sent them to different parts of Kampala. The headquarters remained with the best engines to deal with any emergencies in the city centre.
But the fire that gutted Park Yard Market on Sunday morning brought back old public sentiments about the fire department.
The traders expressed their anger by cutting the fire hoses which the police were using to extinguish the fire prompting Riot Police to fire teargas at them.
Police spokesperson Judith Nabakooba said the police have enough equipment to extinguish the fire but the market had no fire lanes for their trucks to reach the affected areas.
“We couldn’t do our work well because there was no order. People were not following our guidelines yet the flammable materials were all over the market,” said Ms Nabakooba yesterday.
The market, like other buildings in the city centre has no water hydrants. An investigation by the Police Political Commissar, Asan Kasingye, discovered that National Water and Sewarage Corporation (NWSC) had sealed all the 21 fire hydrants in the city centre.
A fire hydrant is a water source used by firefighters to put out fire. But the Chief Fire Officer, Mr Simon Peter Musoke, recently told Daily Monitor they have human resource challenges that are need to respond to emergencies.
He said police have not more than 15 fire stations countrywide yet they need 60 to effectively respond to all fire incidents.
In Kampala alone, police responds to at least four fires or related incidents every day. Fire outbreaks, especially in the urban areas, have become a security and economic concern since many people have lost lives and property.
Ms Nabakooba says that the task of fighting fire is not theirs but they only do it to save lives. According to the Local Government Act, it is the mandate of districts to respond to fires but no district has a fire engine.
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How police responded
Accounts by witnesses yesterday showed that the fire started several minutes past midnight in the central part of Park Yard Market. Below is the timeline of police response:
2:20am: Police Fire Brigade receives a report of a fire at Park Yard Market.
2:21am: A police fire truck registration number UP 2348, under the command of Sgt. Okullo is sent to the scene.
2:25am: Another fire truck registration number UP 1034 commanded by Assistant Inspector of Police Muhago is also dispatched to the scene.
2:26am: The fire is still raging and the police sends Constable Driver Ngombi with a tanker registration number UP 2343.
2:27am: Constable Biso driving a water tanker registration number UP 2358 arrives at the market.
2:28am: Constable Driver Apin with fire truck number UP 2359 joins the fight.
2:29am: Fire Brigade command calls for reinforcement from the new fire station in Bweyogerere.
2:30am: Sgt Ilama arrives with fire truck number UP2327 truck to beef up his colleagues.
2:31am: Nansana fire station asked to support the fire team at the scene and they send fire truck number UP 2336 to the scene. It was at this time that the fire master, Simon Peter Musoke, takes over command as the fire team at the scene was losing the fight against the inferno.
6:45am: Jinja Fire Station intervenes, sending two fire trucks to the scene.
6:45am: Entebbe Aviation and Fire Masters send two fire trucks to support the police team.