‘Burnt UBC Kololo tower was poorly maintained’

Kampala, (UG):- A devastating fire that ravaged the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation’s (UBC) Kololo Summit View Tower last week has left more questions than answers. While officials attribute the blaze to a lightning strike, experts and insiders are pointing to a more complex web of causes, including poor maintenance.

On Friday, a significant outage affected multiple FM radio stations and free-to-air television channels when one of the two towers at Kololo Summit View Station, responsible for transmitting signals, caught fire.

Social media footage and photos showed that the fire had caused severe damage, burning through several essential cables on the tower, which serves as a crucial link for the country’s broadcaster. UBC issued a public statement that evening, quickly attributing the fire to a lightning strike.

“We regret to inform the public that most free-to-air channels are currently off-air due to a lightning strike on our Kololo transmission towers,” the statement read. “We apologize for the inconvenience and are working diligently to assess the damage and restore transmission as quickly as possible.”

However, several sources privy to the issue and well-informed telecommunications engineers interviewed for this story have contested UBC’s explanation.

According to all of those interviewed, the fire was unlikely caused by a lightning strike. Even if lightning were a factor, they said, maintenance issues could be to blame, thereby still placing responsibility on UBC.

“That fire originated from the DC power cables feeding the tower. Specifically, the cables installed by internet providers,” said one anonymous source familiar with the issue. A few other sources interviewed for this story gave similar insights.

The source added that, based on their expert opinion, if lightning had truly struck the tower, there would likely have been additional damage to the equipment in the transmission room.

Another expert familiar with the situation, who also requested to remain anonymous, raised concerns about the cause of the fire. They explained that RF cables, installed by clients including radio and TV stations and internet providers, carry significant amounts of power and can overheat if they malfunction, potentially leading to a fire.

“Lightning follows a specific path and generates energy where it encounters the highest resistance, which can cause a fire. When lightning strikes, it hits the highest point and the surge is directed towards the ground. The energy is concentrated where there is the most resistance, which can generate significant heat. In this case, most of the cables, coming from the antenna, are copper. If lightning had caused the fire, there would likely be damage to the equipment. The absence of such damage suggests that the fire likely started midway along the cables, indicating that the cause was probably something other than lightning,” the expert explained.

The expert further questioned UBC’s swift attribution of the problem to lightning. According to the expert, for a technical issue of this nature, it’s important not to rush to conclusions.

“A comprehensive investigation is essential given the significant losses involved. For communications purposes, a statement indicating that an investigation is underway and that the root cause will be determined would have been a more appropriate response from the PR (Public relations) team,” the expert added.

Question of poor maintenance?

Grace Baleterewa, a retired telecommunications engineer, pointed out that towers are often well-protected with lightning arrestors installed during construction. These arrestors are connected to a copper sheet, approximately 1.5 feet wide, that extends 6 to 10 feet underground.

“With proper earthing, the likelihood of lightning striking the mast is almost nonexistent,” Baleterewa explains. “When the arrestor detects induced voltage from lightning, it immediately transfers the energy to the ground. There’s no opportunity for lightning to strike the mast, which is often made from aluminium alloy or steel. Lightning follows the easiest path, which is typically copper.”

Baleterewa, a former Chief Engineer for Radio Uganda, noted that if the earthing circuit connected to the arrestor is poorly maintained and there is a break, lightning might strike part of the mast. He emphasizes the importance of regular preventive maintenance to avoid such issues. He added that during their time, preventive maintenance for these stations was performed every six months.

He further added that if proper preventive maintenance is carried out, the risk of a fire caused by lightning is very minimal or even non-existent. However, he observes that present-day engineers and technicians often neglect maintenance and inspections, leading to incidents which could have been prevented.

“In the past, engineers and technicians regularly climbed towers to check and measure each cable for resistance,” he recalls. “Cables degrade over time due to factors like rain and temperature variations, and using standard performance meters, we ensured that antennas met required standards. If a cable fell short, we recommended action, and in some cases, threatened disconnection.”

Another expert currently active in the industry highlighted the issue of inadequate maintenance and lack of regulation. They pointed out that clients’ engineers are sometimes left unsupervised, leading to potential risks.

“Every cable or device installed must be monitored to ensure it doesn’t jeopardize the protection of other clients using the same tower,” they said. “Negligence by one person can impact the entire industry, and maintenance is crucial. Sooner or later, clients will question when UBC last conducted maintenance.”

Further discussing other possibilities that should not be overlooked during a thorough investigation, Baleterewa reiterated points made by other experts and sources regarding the potential for one of the feeder cables from the transmitting building to have short-circuited or overheated. This includes cables running to the antennas or one wired to the aviation obstruction lights.

“If this occurs, the cable may begin to smoke initially. If it is not detected or disconnected in time, it could ignite a fire when the sparks reach the insulation, which is made of rubber. Given that the feeder cables running up the mast are bundled together, a short circuit in one cable could potentially burn all the others. This is another possible cause of the fire,” he explained.

However, Baleterewa also noted that sabotage is another potential cause. This could involve someone with technical expertise who has their own motives and interests.

Although several TV channels and radio stations were restored by Saturday, as of the time this story was written, Uganda Radio Network learned that several FM stations on the affected tower, including Beat, Capital, Bukedde, Salt, BBC, East Africa FM, Voice of Africa, Magic, and NRG, were still struggling to get back on air. From some of the explanations offered, the delay is due to the unavailability of some critical items in the country, such as connectors and cables.

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