Hotel owners and residents of Malindi are counting losses after fire broke up earlier today burning three houses among them 2 hotels owned by Italians and one private house.
According to some of the residents who witnessed the incident said that the fire was caused by electricity circuit where hanging cables toughed each other causing some spark which then torched one of the houses.
“I was busy working in the farm when I had some noise from the residential area inside the hotel, I quickly checked and noticed that the hotel was on fire,” said one of workers in the hotel.
“We suspect that this has been caused by power circuit, and this hotel is roofed with ‘Makuti’ which are very dangerous when you lit fire, the strong wind that is also blowing has increased the damage since it is blowing towards houses that are close to each other,” he added.
The residents however slammed the fire department in Malindi saying that the officers are only interested in feeding themselves yet cannot afford to bring one firefighter vehicle to put out the fire.
“We are very disappointed with our fire department, how can you seek for assistance and be told that the vehicle have no water to put out the fire, how?, as residents of Malindi we see this as just but a misuse of peoples revenue, there is no use for leaders to tell residents that the county is fully equipped in the fire department yet they cannot even rescue a single property,” said one of the resident.
Niclous Musca, the owner of the Kenga Giama hotel narrated the ordeal saying that he had just received more than 20 guests whom were spending their holiday inside the hotel when the incidence happened adding that they only managed to rescue human beings.
“I do not know where to begin from, but this is a very big lose to me, our visitors have panicked, and as we speak I have not received any assistance from the government and the fire fighters have delayed to come, everything is ashes now," said Musca.
One of the guests who did not want to be identified said that it was miracle for them to come out from the hotel safely saying that local residents came in and assisted them in the rescue mission though he said some looted their belongings including money and electrical gargets.
Police in Malindi have launched investigation over the matter.