How smuggled fuel burnt Arua couple to death 

By Andrew Cohen Amvesi 

ARUA. The police of Ayivu East Division in Arua City are investigating a fire incident where petrol burnt a newly married couple to death.

The incident occurred at around 11pm on the night of 23rd January 2024 at Okuazaku cell, Arivu ward, Ayivu East Division in Arua City.

Police identified the couple as Lillian Anguezaru Fungaro, a female adult aged 20 years and a resident of Okuazaku cell and her husband, Emmanuel Adima, 30, a resident of the same village.

Josephine Angucia, the North Western police spokesperson confirmed the incident and said upon informing the Regional Head of Fire Brigade West Nile at 11:43pm, the fire crew rushed to the scene to save the situation.

“They found that the fire was in a residential house of one Adima Emmanuel and had already burnt his wife to death beyond recognition; meanwhile Adima was left in critical condition after sustaining serious burns all over the body,” Angucia said.

“Police inquiries indicated that one Adima Emmanuel had just married his now deceased wife Lillian two weeks ago. Further inquiries allege that he has been an illegal fuel dealer and smuggler from DR Congo, and that he had stored many Jerricans of petrol in the house near the entry at the door way. That when he lit a match box within the house already saturated with fumes of petrol, the house went into flames where his wife got burnt to death instantly,” Angucia explained.

Meanwhile Angucia noted that Adima who braved to escape through the fire outside the burning house sustained serious burns all-over the body, and he died the next day on 24th January 2024 after being rushed in critical condition to Arua hospital for treatment.

“The fire was extinguished by the Fire brigade crew with severe damage to the building and the properties therein. However, neighboring buildings were saved. Witnesses at the neighborhood say that they were woken up at around 11pm by the deceased screaming inside their house, and that they came out only to find flames of fire inside the house,” Angucia stressed.

She said inquiries into the actual cause of the fire outbreak are still ongoing though preliminary investigations indicate the cause of fire to be lighting of a match box within the building which was storing smuggled petrol.

Angucia observed that a postmortem was done to both bodies and later handed over to relatives for burial.

She said the scene was examined and documented as inquiries continue under Ayivu East CRB 011/2024.

“We have noted that smuggling of fuel from across the DR Congo border has become a common criminal activity taking place in the West Nile Region of recent, and the fuel is being poorly stored in houses. We caution such illegal dealers in fuel to desist from it as it’s not only unlawful but deadly in terms of fire accidents,” Angucia advised.