Property worth over Rwf200 million was destroyed when fire gutted Afri-foam, a mattress and paint factory. It is located in Gatsata, in Kigali’s Gasabo District. The fire, that broke out around midday, destroyed all processing machines, stocks of paints, tunnels, iron materials, cushions, one RV4 vehicle, among other things, according to the factory managers. Jeremy Kalisa, the factory owner said the materials that were destroyed were valued at over Rwf200 million, and had no insurance cover. A worker who preferred anonymity said the fire started following welding work by one factory staff. But the Police Spokesperson for City of Kigali, Supt. Modeste Mbabazi, said the cause of the fire was yet to be established. “We are still investigating the cause of the fire, though we realised there was some welding work going on to repair the ceiling before the fire broke out. There is, however, no conclusion, it might have just triggered the outbreak,” he said. The fire was put out by police before it could spread to nearby businesses. Meanwhile, on Sunday, another fire gutted a school in Burera District leaving property, worth millions of francs, completely destroyed. The incident followed another fire that burnt about four shops in Kigali on Saturday evening. Supt. Mbabazi advised businesses to always insure their property in order to avoid incurring heavy losses in such cases. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
