Kenya Fire: 3 Dead, More Than 270 Injured After Gas Explosion In Nairobi

Kenya Fire: The deputy inspector general of police, Douglas Kanja, informed reporters that 271 people were admitted to different hospitals in Nairobi and that at least three people had died.

A firefighter from Nairobi City county was seen around the small-scale traders' market that was razed down by fire in downtown Nairobi. The traders were left counting huge losses due to the fire that burnt down the business premises. ( Image Source :Getty Images )

A massive fire caused by a gas truck explosion in the Kenyan capital has resulted in at least three deaths and over 270 injuries, according to police reports on Friday. According to the Agence France-Presse (AFP), a journalist on the scene reported that firefighters were able to contain the fire by approximately 9:00 am (0600 GMT), more than nine hours after it broke out.

The explosion ignited a "huge ball of fire that spread widely", government spokesman Isaac Maigua Mwaura posted on X.

He said, "Consequently, the inferno further damaged several vehicles and commercial properties, including many small and medium sized businesses." He also said, "Sadly, residential houses in the neighbourhood also caught fire, with a good number of residents still inside as it was late at night." 

SECOND UPDATE ON THE EMBAKASI GAS EXPLOSION FIRE INCIDENT

Further to our earlier communication, the government of Kenya wishes to confirm that yesterday Thursday 1st February 2024, at around 11:30 pm, there was a huge explosion at Mradi area, in Embakasi, Nairobi County.

One…

— Spokesperson GoK (@SpokespersonGoK) February 2, 2024

According to AFP, the deputy inspector general of police, Douglas Kanja, informed reporters that 271 people were admitted to different hospitals in Nairobi and that at least three people had died.

The fire broke out in the Embakasi neighbourhood southeast of the capital just before midnight on Thursday. Photos aired by neighborhood media outlets revealed a massive fireball near multiple residences.

A motorcycle taxi driver named Felix Kirwa told AFP that he had just arrived back home when two explosions rocked his residence and broke a window. The three-parent father grabbed his youngest child, a four-year-old boy, and fled the house, disoriented and losing sight of his older kids.

"I didn't know where the two other children ran to until this morning when I located them, and they are safe," he said, nursing a bandaged broken leg.

AFP journalist revealed that several houses and vehicles were burned, with images of the scene showing many burned-out cars and residences.

James Ngoge, who stayed across the street from the place where the fire broke out, said to AFP, "We were in the house and heard a huge explosion".

He also said, "The whole building was shaken by a huge tremor, it felt like it was going to collapse. At first, we didn't even know what was happening, it was like an earthquake. I have a business on the road that was completely destroyed."

Stella Mbithi, a roadside vegetable vendor, noticed flames turning the sky orange. "Everyone of us departed. People were yelling everywhere, and cars were blowing their horns, making the scene pandemonium. I stumbled multiple times," she told AFP. "I am lucky to be alive."

Many people in the neighborhood were forced to spend the night outside due to the explosion, and when police cordoned off the damaged area, massive columns of black smoke could be seen pouring from the region. A few individuals were observed gathering their possessions and evaluating the harm done to their residences.

"The scene has now been secured and a command centre is now in place to help coordinate rescue operations and other intervention efforts," Mwaura said.

In 2018, a fire at Nairobi's Gikomba market left at least 70 people injured and 15 dead. Six more people, including four children, passed away from their injuries at a hospital, while nine of the deceased were located in an apartment building next to the market. In 2011, over 100 people were killed in the Embakasi area when fuel spilled from a pipeline and burst into flames.

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