Bomet fires raze 20 shops, leaving traders counting losses

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Property worth millions of shillings was lost when fires destroyed 20 business premises in two separate incidents in Bomet County.

In the first incident, 12 timber-built shops were gutted in Silibwet town, Bomet Central Sub-County.

The fire broke out at around 2145hrs last Monday night.

In the second incident, at least eight timber-built shops were destroyed at Chebirbelek Trading Centre in the early hours of Tuesday.

Senior Disaster Management Officer Stanley Mutai confirmed the incidents and said the cause of the fires had not yet been established. No casualties were reported.

“Residents have lost millions of assets through this unfortunate incident; 20 shops were completely razed down,” said Mutai.

“With the help of members of the public and the county disaster team, we managed to put out the fire, but it had engulfed the entire shops. “We haven’t established the cause, but investigation is ongoing,” added Mutai.

Bomet Governor Hillary Barichok promised affected residents that his administration would assess the damage and assist them.

"Regrettably, fire gutted business premises in Silibwet and Chebirbelek trading centres, leading to a significant loss of property. We have visited the affected residents and families; as we speak, a team is assessing the impact of the damage with a view to assisting the victims," said Barchok.