Fire leaves hundreds homeless

A woman tries to salvage what was left of her property after fire gutted a trading centre in Belgesh, Isiolo County, yesterday. The fire razed the entire trading centre.   [PHOTO: ALI ABDI/STANDARD]

By ALI ABDI

Isiolo County: A fierce blaze destroyed an entire trading centre in Garbatulla district, Isiolo County, leaving hundreds of families homeless.

Fire wiped out Belgesh trading centre at the weekend, causing major losses.

The only school in the area, Belgesh Primary and Nursery School, was partly affected as the fire destroyed some classrooms and a store. Belgesh is a major livestock trading centre and Friday is its market day with traders coming from Isiolo, Lagdera in Garissa and Maua in Meru.

The fire, according to the residents, started from a makeshift thatched house and spread to other temporary buildings. Strong winds, experienced during the dry weather, intensified the fire spread.

Garbatulla Ward Representative Abdi Sora said the centre with about 1,500 people had completely been destroyed. “All the structures in the centre were destroyed. The school was also partly damaged. Locals and visiting traders lost their property and money,” said Mr Sora.

He said as a result of the damage, the local school would not re-open today as parents of the children were also affected. However, no one was injured in the lunch hour blaze.

On Sunday, Isiolo County government donated food and non-food items to the affected residents.

Isiolo Governor Godana Doyo, through his Chief of Staff Abdikadir Suleiman, dispatched the donation following recommendations from the County Disaster Committee. “The food rations included cooking oil, maize flour, sugar, salt, tea leaves and rice while the non-food items included tarpaulins, utensils, detergents, mattresses and bed sheets,” said Mr Suleiman.

Rescue centre

The families, who spent Friday night in the cold, also received mosquito nets, blankets and sets of cooking utensils from the Kenya Red Cross Society. Hundreds of women and children also received clothes and cash from the governor’s wife Madina Jarso and Senator Mohamed Kuti.

Area chief Adan Abgudo, who was also affected, told the Press that the fire caught residents by surprise and most were either in the market or mosque.

Yesterday, Doyo said the county would set up a disaster rescue centre to respond to such incidents.