Hotel Muhabura has suspended its operations following a devastating fire that broke out on Monday, October 14, damaging the hotel kitchen, the bar and the restaurant area. Five storage rooms of the Musanze-based hotel were also gutted by the fire, which broke out around 10PM, according to the hotel management. ALSO READ: Musanze: No one injured in fire outbreak at Hotel Muhabura The fire was put out by Rwanda National Police, no one was injured. “We called the rescue team, and the police arrived with three fire trucks. They managed to put out the fire, but unfortunately, we couldn’t save anything because of the extent of the damage,” Gaudence Rusingizandekwe, the owner of Hotel Muhabura, told national broadcaster RBA on Tuesday. While the guest rooms remained untouched, the hotel has decided to temporarily close all operations, she said. “Even though the rooms are intact, people cannot stay if there’s no food service available,” Rusingizandekwe added. She did not specify when the hotel would reopen, as they continued to assess the full extent of the damage. On a positive note, she said, Hotel Muhabura was fully insured. Hotel Muhabura is one of the oldest hotels in Rwanda, having been established between 1954 and 1956. ALSO READ: Mutara III Rudahigwa remembered 65 years later Named after one of Rwanda's five volcanoes, the hotel has hosted prominent people including King Mutara III Rudahigwa and American primatologist and conservationist Dian Fossey, who spent significant time there during her groundbreaking work with mountain gorillas
