Fire outbreaks across the country, especially in Kigali City, have become a new security menace that has cost investors millions of francs in burnt property.

Police cite poor electrical installations as the main cause of the the fires.

There were two fire incidents in the past one week. In one of them, at La Veste Bar and Restaurant situated in the heart of the city, property worth millions of francs was gutted.

Inmates at Muhanga Prison had to be evacuated after their cella burnt down following an inferno that raged for hours.

The Parliamentary Budget Committee has demanded that the Ministry of Internal Security responds to allegations of delays by fire response teams.

The aspect of delays, as well as a seemingly inefficient disaster response system, has elicited public debate. Fire brigades only exist in Kigali City and it takes an hour or two for firefighters to appear at the scene, especially when the fire happens to be in the rural areas.

Minister for Internal Security Musa Fasil Harerimana came under fire in parliament over the fires, with MP Corine Bwiza Sekamana saying that during the plenary meeting the minister had said each province should be having a fire truck.

“How is this issue going to be catered for in your budget?” Ms Sekamana asked. “We were surprised that a fire broke out in Muhanga Prison and the assistance had to not only come from Kigali but it also arrived late.”

Responding to the query, Mr Harerimana said his ministry was looking at having solutions to the problem in the near future, noting that districts would be asked to purchase more fire trucks.

Mr Harerimana added that the ministry planned to purchase 11 smaller fire trucks in this year’s budget to enable firefighters to easily enter hitherto inaccessible areas.

Spend about Rwf39 billion

The minister has proposed to spend about Rwf39 billion this year, compared to Rwf36 billion last fiscal year, a eight per cent rise in the budget, an increase that he said will go into buying the required of the firefighting equipment.

Police investigations indicate that electricity installations in these affected facilities were either sub-standard, outdated or badly installed, most likely by unqualified people. Welding works, candles and charcoal stoves are other contributors of fires, according to police reports.

In 2011, the Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS) issued a communiqué to alert importers, traders and end users of the requirements for electrical cables of cross-section area between 1.5 to six square millimetres. The insulated conductors have to be made of “copper only.”

In 2012, at least 92 fires were recorded with 84 reported in 2011, which has compelled the government to establish a special team to investigate the raging outbreaks in various parts of the country.

The government’s safety measures require that each house has an extinguisher and fire exits and install smoke alarms, the same with commercial transport vehicles.

The increasing numbers of fires have raised many questions over how schools, prisons, businesses and communities are prepared to deal with such incidents. Whether they have the skills (drills on what to do in such cases), the equipment, such as fire extinguishers, and fire exits.

Most of the schools do not have such training; neither do the business communities. A majority of business, especially restaurants, bars and shops, which are more prone to fires, do not have equipment to fight fires.

READ: Mystery fires wreak havoc with city life as bars and churches burn down

Even with the growing economy in Rwanda today, the majority of business are conducted in structures that do not meet the required standards, making them a bigger risk of being gutted easily.

Pool funds

“It is true that many structures, especially the old ones, don’t have the requirements to fight fires,” said Antione Rwanamiza, the director of Elite Africa, an architectural and construction company.

“It’s only new structures such as hotels and NGO and insurance companies’ offices that try to abide by the requirements; otherwise, many are a risk.”

Last year, all the dis­tricts in Southern Province agreed to pool funds to purchase two fire engines by that August with one truck to be based in Huye District and the oth­er in Muhanga to serve the remaining six districts, but that has not been implemented.

Southern Region police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Hubert Gashagaza said police plan to have fire brigades in the province but, because of the cost of the trucks, districts will have to chip in by installing fire extinguishers.

Lack of fire hoses

Even with the few firefighting equipment, police still find it hard to put out fires because of lack of fire hoses in buildings. Constructors in Kigali say only a few buildings in the city have them.

Apparently, Rwanda is faced with a problem of awareness on firefighting skills and drills — what to do when a fire breaks out. Few structures, such as hotels and factories, and modern buildings have emergency exit plans and directions to be followed in a case of fire or if people are trapped in the building.

An unexpected fire in July 2012 burnt down four hectares of land in Gatsibo District. It was said to have been started by some children lighting a fire in the forest, according to the police.

Two schools in Ruhango District, Southern Province, were in the same range of time, last year ravaged by fires in two separate incidents.

The first case seen at Byimana School of Sciences, in Ruhango, which reduced a dormitory to ashes, destroying property worth millions of francs in the building that housed 155 O-Level male students.

At College Bethel, also known as APARUDE (the Association des Parents de Ruhango pour la Promotion de l’Education), fire destroyed a dormitory and property, including students’ bedding and learning materials.

According to officials, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (Midmar) has so far established disaster management clubs in 120 schools. The clubs are supposed to examine schools’ safety and disaster awareness and participate in response activities in case of disasters.

The ministry is also working on fire safety regulations, which are due to be issued “very soon” as they are in their final stage.

Midmar’s plan involves, among other things, installing the necessary firefighting equipment in every institution, training staff to operate them and insurance for property which might be razed by fires.

A 2009 Child Friendly Schools Infrastructure Standards and Guidelines for primary and secondary schools lists a number of must-haves regarding students’ safety.

The documents require schools to ensure, among other things, that there is an escape route out of the building and an outward-opening door of the dormitory in case of fire. There should also be special precaution in dormitories and kitchens.

However, as fires keep ravaging buildings, it seems the document has been partly ignored by schools.

The Rwanda Association of Assurances, known in its French acronym Association des Assureur du Rwanda (ASSAR), has also signed an agreement with the Rwanda National Police, aimed at soliciting funds for purchasing firefighting equipment and prevention of accidents. The memorandum will also see the setting up of a one-stop centre, in which all accident-related cases will be handled.