A fire resulting from a gas explosion in Kenya’s capital Nairobi killed two people, a local newspaper said, citing police
The fire, in Nairobi’s Embakasi neighborhood, started just before midnight at a gas refilling company
Wesley Kimeto, commander in charge of police in Embakasi, was quoted saying in the Standard newspaper’s X account that at least two people were confirmed dead from the incident.
As a result of the explosion, the building was badly damaged, government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said on social media platform X.
“One Lorry (truck) of an unknown registration number that was loaded with gas exploded, igniting a huge ball of fire that spread widely,” he said.
“Sadly, residential houses in the neighborhood also caught fire, with a good number of residents still inside as it was late at night” Mr Mwaura added.
In addition, nearly 300 people were injured according to the Kenyan Red Cross.
“The concerted actions of various response units have resulted in the successful evacuation of 271 individuals to different health facilities in Nairobi,” the Kenya Red Cross said on social media platform X, adding that an additional 27 people were treated on site.
At around 6:30am local time (3.30pm Irish time), firefighters were still working to bring the blaze under control, according to journalists.
Large columns of black smoke were seen billowing from the fire on the outskirts of the city.
