Panic as early morning fire, explosion rocks a populous Nairobi Estate.

juma chrispinus

March 3, 2017 9:24 AM

A caretaker of the apartment said the fire brigade managed to put it out.

Occupants of a Zimmerman estate apartment in Nairobi have been safely evacuated this morning after a cooking gas store got a huge fire, exploding.

Fire engines from the Nairobi County Government managed to put off the fire. However, the property of unknown value has been razed down in one of the rooms of a five-storey building in the morning inferno.

As police commence investigations, the information on the cause of the fire remain scanty,

The caretaker of the apartment has told a local radio station that they made attempts to put off the fore in vain adding that the situation worsened as the store had paraffin for sale was stored in it.

“We tried to put it off but we were overwhelmed,” the caretaker only identified as John told the press of the 4.45am incident.

Massive crowds were pulled from neighbouring apartments who thought it was either an attack or a transformer that had exploded.

The gas store is right next to an eatery, leaving it exposed to such dangers.

Kangemi fire

November last year, about 18 families were left homeless and property worth millions of shillings destroyed after a fire razed Kangemi market and neighbouring houses. The 3am fire started in one of the stalls and spread to the whole market. No injuries were reported.

Residents blamed the fire brigade on failing to contain the fire.

“They came with four engines and parked at the petrol station. It was the market that was on fire, not the station,” a trader said.

“They only started fighting the fire after it had spread through the market.”

juma chrispinus