Night Fire Burns Down Businesses and Town’s Main Stage

Property of unknown value has been destroyed after a devastating fire gutted buildings in Kericho Town, Kericho County.

Preliminary reports indicate that the inferno, which broke out on the night of Tuesday, February 25, ravaged several businesses and shops, leaving a trail of destruction, particularly around the main stage area.

The cause of the fire remains unknown.

According to witnesses, a Kericho County fire engine arrived shortly after the blaze started but struggled to contain the flames.

A second county fire truck reportedly arrived but left without making significant progress in extinguishing the fire.

A fire engine from James Finlay Kenya later arrived to contain the rapidly spreading flames.

Kericho town main stage fire

Photos seen by The Kenya Times showed a massive fire engulfing a section of the shops, while other images depicted some shops completely burnt. Residents were also seen attempting to put out the flames.

The full extent of the damage is yet to be determined.

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The Kericho town fire is among a series of recent infernos reported across the country, resulting in significant property loss.

It comes days after another fire razed several businesses and properties of unknown value in the Kariobangi area of Nairobi on Sunday, February 24.

Reports indicated that the incident which occurred at the Kariobangi Light Industrial Area began around noon at one property before spreading to others.

Efforts to contain the fire continued into the night, as the Nairobi City County Fire Department struggled to control the blaze independently, prompting them to seek additional reinforcements.

The Kenya Red Cross in a statement issued on Sunday night reported that efforts to contain the fire had been ongoing for nine hours.

The agency further stated that several business premises and two schools had been affected, with the extent of the damage yet to be determined.

Kiambu fire

A week earlier, another night fire burnt down a story building in Kiambu town, Kiambu County.

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The fire which broke out on Sunday, February 16, destroyed a section of Pettans Technical College (PTC) main campus located within the town.

While confirming the incident at around 2250hrs, Kenya Red Cross said that some of its responders in coordination with a multi-agency team made up by officials from the County government and National Police Service (NPS) officers were working to put out the fire.

“Emergency response teams are battling a fire that broke out near Pettans Technical College in Kiambu. The Kenya Red Cross Action Team, Kenya Police and the County Fire Brigade are on the ground, working to contain it,” Kenya Red Cross said.

In videos seen by The Kenya Times, residents watched from a distance as the fire burnt down parts of Pettans Plaza which hosts the college campus whereas the firefighters tried to put out the fire.

The residents however criticized the County fire department’s slow response adding that the fire engines arrived to handle the situation with insufficient water.

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