Editor's Review

Several houses, mostly built with iron sheets, have been destroyed.

Residents of the Bottom Line area in Kangemi are counting heavy losses after a fire broke out on Tuesday morning, destroying several houses and household property. The cause of the fire is yet to be established.

According to eyewitnesses, the fire started at around 9:30 a.m. and was initially small. One resident said the flames could have been contained had there been a faster response from homeowners or emergency services.

“I saw it around 9:45 while I was in a matatu heading to town. It wasn’t big at the time. If neighbours had acted quickly, it could have been managed,” the witness said.

Videos seen by Nairobi Leo show firefighters already at the scene working to contain the blaze, which had significantly reduced by the time the crews arrived.

However, by then, several houses, most of them built using iron sheets, had already been destroyed, along with property belonging to the affected families.

Read More

  1. Babu Owino Goes After Sakaja Over Mathare Fire Incident
  2. Massive Fire Erupts in Mathare After Suspected Gas Explosion
  3. Fire Destroys Several Houses in South B

In the aftermath, residents were seen salvaging whatever items remained unburnt. Others carefully removed and stacked damaged iron sheets to the side, hoping to rebuild their homes once the situation stabilises.

Police are yet to issue an official statement on the incident. However, as of the time of publishing, no fatalities or injuries had been reported.

File image of the Mathare Fire.

This comes less than a week after another major fire incident was reported in the Mlango Kubwa area of Mathare.

In that incident, a morning blaze spread rapidly through the densely populated settlement, destroying multiple houses and triggering panic among residents.

Emergency responders, including the Nairobi Fire Brigade, were deployed to contain the fire, which reportedly started at around 9:00 a.m.

"A fire outbreak has been reported at Mlango Kubwa area in Mathare, Nairobi County. The Nairobi Fire Brigade is currently on site, and efforts to extinguish the fire are underway," the Red Cross stated.

Preliminary accounts from the area suggested a possible gas-related incident, though authorities did not immediately confirm the cause. Fortunately, no casualties were reported in that fire as well.