At least five people are feared dead after a night inferno broke out at the informal settlement of Mathare around 2:00 a.m in the Mathare B slums of Nairobi.
Four others are currently nursing serious injuries after being rushed to a local hospital, according to the police.
According to Nairobi police boss George Sedah, the fire started after one of the iron sheets-structures caught fire and then spread to neighboring homes, flattening at least eight houses and destroying two nearby churches. Investigations to establish the cause of the fire are underway.
“We understand the victims were sleeping when the fire broke out, killing five of them. Four others are in the hospital with serious injuries,” the police boss said.
The fire incident has displaced several families, leaving them without shelter as smoke lingered at the site well into the morning. Residents have already begun making plans to rebuild their homes.
Fire Breaks Out in Mathare
Emergency crews, including firefighters and police, noted that poor road access within the informal settlement significantly delayed their response and contributed to the extent of the damage.
The fire incident in Mathare B slums comes just hours after a blaze broke out in the early hours of Sunday, May 18, 2025, at the popular Gikomba Market in Nairobi.
Also Read: Night Fire Burns Down Businesses and Town’s Main Stage
Preliminary reports suggest that the fire began at around 3 am. Witnesses confirmed that the fire broke out in the footwear section of the market near Lamu Road in Majengo, Pumwani, spreading through several stalls.
Blaze Erupts in Gikomba Market
However, no injuries or fatalities had been reported by the time of publishing. The cause of the fire is yet to be established.
Multi-agency teams led by firefighters from the Nairobi City County fire department, alongside local volunteers, worked to contain the inferno, according to Kamukunji Member of Parliament Yusuf Hassan.
Elsewhere, a massive fire broke out on Saturday evening, May 10, at the offices of the Mombasa Water and Sanitation Company (MOWASSCO) in Mombasa’s Central Business District.
Also Read: Night Fire Burns Down College Storey Building
The fire incident occurred near residences along Nkrumah Road, close to the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) offices in Mombasa County.
In a viral video circulating on social media, the fire could be seen engulfing the offices, with residents watching from a distance while others used the limited resources they had to attempt to extinguish the flames.
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