UPDATE: A four-year-old child has been confirmed dead after fire razed down several houses within a densely populated residential area in Nairobi.
Mukuru Kwa Reuben area chief Justus Kiema confirmed the death while reporting the fire incident which happened on Tuesday, October 22 afternoon in the high-populated slums
According to the chief, the inferno resulted due to illegal power connection followed by gas-cylinder explosion.
Eyewitnesses said that the fire broke out when a gas exploded in one of the houses igniting the fire before quickly spreading to adjacent structures.
This resulted in significant destruction of over 40 houses, with property valued at millions lost following the inferno.
Further, eyewitnesses said that they unsuccessfully tried to contain the fire after the blaze overpowered them.
Photos and videos seen by The Kenya Times showed huge flames engulfing multiple homes accompanied by a pitch-dark smoke, leaving residents in distress and many families homeless.
The residents in the video also appealed for urgent help even as responders intensified their efforts to put out the blaze.
Mukuru kwa Ruben inferno
By the time of publishing, it had not yet been confirmed if there were any other injuries that resulted from the inferno.
Also Read: Four Killed as Night Fire Burns Down Toi Market
Similarly, the fire emergency unit had not arrived at the scene to contain the inferno which had razed a number of structures, by the time of publishing.
Efforts to reach fire emergency services were not immediately possible as the emergency services were not available.
Residents condemned the County Government of Nairobi for lack of accessible water that would have helped in putting out the fire immediately.
They further lamented the poor state of the road network would have made it difficult for a fire engine to easily access the site.
The incident comes exactly 6 days after another fire broke out in the same Mukuru kwa Reuben slums in the wee hours of Wednesday night, last week.
Increased incidents
There have been a series of fire incidents at Nairobi’s informal settlements reported in the recent past, a trend that is raising concerns.
Also Read: Nyeri School Fire: 16 Pupils Dead in Night Inferno
Last week’s Mukuru fire incident was reported just hours after another fire broke out at Jerusalem in Dagoretti South.
The Kenya Red Cross (KRC) Nairobi Branch reported the incident on its official account stating that rescue teams are working to put out the fire.
“A fire outbreak has been reported at Jerusalem in Waithaka, Dagoretti South, Nairobi. Response teams activated,” read the statement in part.
At the time, Kenya Red Cross reported no injuries, and the cause of the inferno was not established.
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