Fire engulfed the Eastern Equatoria State secretariat this morning, burning crucial government records. |File Photo.

Fire outbreak has destroyed parts of Eastern Equatoria State Secretariat, including the office of Governor Luis Lobong in Torit town.

The fire reportedly erupted early this morning at a power room inside the storage building.

The offices of the state executive director and deputy secretary general were also destroyed.

Aliandro Lotok, the press secretary in the office of the governor said the government secretariat offices caught fire at 7 in the morning.

“This morning when the cleaners were going about cleaning the offices, the government secretariat in Torit caught fire and some of the offices got burned and some of the offices were rescued. This fire started at the power room inside the secretariat in the building there and of course,” said Lotok.

The close associate of Governor Louis Lobong Lojore described the destruction of the documents as a great loss to the state’s heritage and history.

“Unfortunately, this power is where the files of Eastern Equatoria State are kept particularly those files from the state government of 1994 up to 2019. Sadly, all these files got burned and it’s unfortunate that this happened today,” he said.

According to Lotok, Governor Lobong’s office including documents containing vital information from 1994 to 2019 were gutted by the fire.

The incident occurred as the secretariat staff were cleaning up the offices, but no casualties have been reported.

The fire was reportedly put off by the Civil Defense Services, an UNMISS team, and some residents of Torit.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, but Lotok disclosed an investigation has commenced to establish the trigger of the incident.

The State Secretariat, situated in the heart of Torit town, has several offices including that of the governor and his deputy as well as the offices of the Ministers of Cabinet Affairs and Gender, and of the state secretary general.

According to Lotok, the building is now abandoned until the completion of its renovation.