At least six houses burnt and property of unknown value destroyed by fire at Kianda-Bombolulu Village in Kibra on Thursday evening.
The fire that started around 5pm was allegedly caused by an electric fault. The fire is said to have started in one of the affected houses whose occupants were away at the time of the incident. This is according to residents who sought to contain the raging inferno.
“It started from this house (one of the affected houses) before it spread to the other houses. It might have been electric fault because the owner of the house had not returned home from work. Nothing else could have started the fire considering that he left very early in the morning,” said one of the affected residents.
Efforts to rescue property bore no fruits due to congestion of houses within the area. Scarcity of water to put out the fire also contributed to the fire spreading. The fire brigade allegedly arrived an hour later after the damage had been done.
“I have lost everything except for my child who I managed to rescue from the house as the fire started,” she added.
Some of the neighbours also lost their property to looters who took advantage of the fire incident.
“My gas cylinder has been stolen by those who were breaking into neighbouring houses in search of water to contain the fire,” said Njeri, a resident.
This happens barely two days after Kibra MP Ken Okoth visited the area to console victims of a fire that consumed more than 13 houses in Kianda, few metres from the location of the latest incident.