Family of five killed as fire razes houses in Kibra

Five people have died, several injured and property destroyed in a fire in Kibra’s Laini Saba.

The Thursday night fire is said to have started at around 10pm from a business stall and spread to more than 50 houses, destroying property worth millions of shillings.

Survivors of the catastrophe said they were unable to salvage anything from their houses and stalls because the inferno caught them by surprise.

“I have only managed to retrieve a few clothes. I had to get out because there was smoke everywhere and I could not even see where I was going,” said Mary Wanjiku, a business owner and resident of the area said amid tears.

“Most of us had just brought new stock because this is a festive season. We were expecting to make good money, but we are now back to zero."

CAUGHT BY SURPRISE

The five who died were members of the same family; a man, his wife and their three children. The deceased family also owned a stall and rental houses in the area.

By the time The Saturday Standard visited, four bodies had been taken to the City Mortuary and one, burnt beyond recognition, was still at the scene.

Five of the victims who were severely burnt are receiving treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital.

Witnesses said when the fire broke out, there was commotion everywhere, but it appears the deceased family did not hear the alarm raised.

“Everybody was trying to escape through the narrow paths but it was difficult because we were many and there was a lot of smoke so we could not see anything. We had no idea that there were some people still sleeping,” said a witness who injured his leg as he was escaping.

The inferno came two days after another fire killed two and destroyed property about a kilometre away.

According to area chief Patrick Adira, the fire might have been caused by an electric fault.

Adira said residents often misuse electric appliances, exposing themselves to fire breakouts.

“People use their heaters, electric coils and other power draining devices carelessly, and at times, it causes a power surge,” the chief said.

“Landlords should not just be money-oriented. They should put the safety of tenants first by not having illegal power connections. They should also ensure enough space between their houses so that people can easily be rescued when such incidents occur."

He added that the Government should redevelop the area to ease congestion and for easier navigation during emergencies.

“These roads are very narrow and congested. It was an uphill task for the fire fighters to reach this place in time and extinguish the fire,” said the chief.

Adira said he had communicated with Constituency Development Fund office and they had promised to help the affected families get temporary accommodation.