A fire incident was reported at a commercial building in Mombasa, prompting an emergency response to prevent further damage and loss of life.
In a statement on Sunday, January 11, Kenya Red Cross said the blaze occurred at a building located next to Quickmart Bandari and was successfully contained.
"A fire at a building adjacent to Quickmart Bandari in Mombasa was brought under control through the joint efforts of the Mombasa County Fire Brigade, Kenya Red Cross and other emergency responders," the statement read.
Kenya Red Cross further confirmed that the incident resulted in one injury and caused structural damage within the premises.
"One casualty was taken to Nairobi Women’s Hospital, with two rooms destroyed and parts of the building partially damaged," the statement added.
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This comes days after a fire destroyed property of unknown value as several houses were burnt down at Meru G.K. Prison on Tuesday night.
Speaking on Wednesday, January 7, Meru Senior Assistant Commissioner Matthew Kimanzi said he received a distress call from the officer in charge at around 10:30 pm reporting the outbreak of the fire at the prison camp.
Kimanzi explained that the fire was so severe that it proved difficult to contain, forcing prison authorities to focus on evacuating all staff members from the affected structures.
"The fire was so severe, such a way that it was difficult to put it out. They attempted to evacuate all the staff members. The inferno was too big, and everything was destroyed," he said.
Despite the magnitude of the blaze, Kimanzi confirmed that there were no casualties in the incident, with all occupants successfully evacuated from the burning structures before the flames intensified.
"Good enough, there were no casualties. Those inside one of the houses were evacuated. But still, everything was destroyed. So far, so good, no casualties," the Senior Assistant Commissioner stated.
However, he noted that the affected staff members lost all their belongings in the fire.
The scene was visited by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and county police as authorities launched investigations to establish the cause of the fire.
Kimanzi said that so far, investigators have not determined what triggered the inferno.
"We still don't know what happened or what caused the fire," he said.
Kimanzi issued an appeal to well-wishers and humanitarian organizations to come to the aid of the affected prison staff who lost their homes and belongings in the fire.
"I'm asking for any kind of humanitarian support for those who were evacuated. In this regard, I'm appealing to all well-wishers within our country. If they can do something to assist those people who have been affected by the inferno, so that they can pick up their lives and move on," he appealed.
