Fire broke out at Kampala's St. Balikuddembe Market, commonly known as Owino Market, at about 4am (local time) as helpless traders remotely stood by to witness their merchandises, worth billions of Ugandan shillings, being destroyed to ashes.

Owino is Kampala's s largest outdoor market with over 500,000 traders.

According to New Vision, the police and the army have been heavily deployed at the premises to keep law and order, and stop thugs from looting the little merchandise which was saved.

By press time, the cause of the inferno had not yet been established.

According to Uganda Red Cross, 8 people have been admitted at the National Referral Hospital, Mulago. Five of the admitted were still unconscious. They fainted upon reaching the inferno site. Three sustained wounds on heads after being hit by stones.

This is the second time fire guts the market this month.