There was a catastrophic outbreak of fire at the Sunrise Hotel situated in the midtown district of Kampala, Uganda, on March 5, 2025. The fire completely destroyed the multi-storey building killing a number of people in the chaos that followed. The fire set the sky ablaze as thick smoke billowed into the air, obstructing visibility and causing utter chaos as people attempted to flee out of the building.

John Mulijja, a normal bystander, witnessing the utter chaos unfold commented, “The fire spread in an instant. The cries for aid were ear-wrenching and life threatening. In some cases, there was no other option except to jump.” According to witnesses, the fire spread quickly and few people where forced to jump from the upper floors to save themselves.

Numerous people attempted rescue, including but not limited to medical professionals, policemen, firefighters, fresh responders and anyone else willing to help save those who were still left trapped in the building. While some people did manage to salvage a few lives, at least three people tragically died and numerous others were critically injured.

As of now, there is no knowledge as to what caused the fire but there is an ongoing search that should provide some answers soon. Due to this incident, laws should be put in place that allow business owners to set up fire safety guards, have frequent emergency evacuations, and observe for building regulations that would avert similar disasters in the future.