Property of unknown value was reduced to ashes after a fire broke out at the Mastermind Tobacco Kenya Limited on Wednesday evening.
Mavoko Sub-County fire brigade supervisor, Duncan Kamatu, told Hivisasa that the fire started in one of the stores in Mlolongo where tobacco designated for processing is kept.
Kamatu said the store was reportedly locked when it caught fire at around 8.30pm.
"We are told that the fire started from one of the tobacco stores which had been locked since no operations take place in that section at night," said Kamatu. No one was injured in the incident.
He said two of the stores were completely destroyed by the fierce fire which was put out on Thursday at around 7.30am by a joint effort of fire engines and brigades from Machakos County Headquarters, Nairobi County Government, K.K Security Services and G4S Company.
Kamatu said fire fighters managed to contain the fire from spreading to other stores and godowns as employees of the company who were on duty at its production section helped to salvage a few bails of tobacco from the stores that were razed.
"The fire was too much and the wind posed a great challenge to the fire fighters in putting out the fire. We managed to contain it even though it took us the whole night," said Kamatu.
The cause of the fire had not been established by the time of going to press as the firm's officers who were present during the rescue mission said they could not comment until their seniors arrived from Nairobi.