At least two people were killed and 222 others injured in a large fire caused by a gas explosion on Friday February 2 in Nairobi, the Kenyan government spokesperson announced. A truck “loaded with gas exploded, causing a huge fireball which spread widely” in Embakasi, a district of the Kenyan capital, government spokesperson Isaac Maigua Mwaura said on X.
The fire “damaged several vehicles and commercial properties, including many small and medium-sized businesses. Unfortunately, residential houses in the area also caught fire, and a good number of residents were still inside as it was late at night,” Mr Mwaura said.
Two people “lost their lives while being treated at Nairobi Hospital,” the government spokesperson lamented, and “222 others were injured by the fire and were rushed to various hospitals.” Earlier, the Kenyan Red Cross reported nearly 300 injured, without giving details of those killed.
Around 7 a.m. local time (5 a.m. in Paris), many firefighters were still hard at work trying to bring the fire under control, noted a journalist from Agence France-Presse (AFP). Large columns of black smoke were still escaping from the blaze.
A huge ball of fire
The fire broke out around midnight local time in the Embakasi district. Images broadcast by the Citizen media show a huge ball of fire near several homes. According to an AFP journalist on site, many homes and vehicles burned.
“We were in the house and we heard a huge explosion,” James Ngoge, who lives across the street from where the fire broke out, told AFP. “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,” he added.
Many residents of the area spent the night outside, noted an AFP journalist. The police installed a security cordon around the fire, while some people were already working to collect their belongings and assess the damage. “The scene has now been secured and a command center is in place to help coordinate rescue operations and other response efforts,” the government spokesperson said.
