Residents of Donholm estate in Nairobi fled their homes on Friday morning, February 6, after a gas explosion triggered a major fire near a popular eatery.
The inferno, which broke out near the Total Petrol Station in Donholm opposite Triple K, caused panic as multiple explosions were heard in quick succession.
This forced families to flee their homes amid flying debris and exploding gas cylinders.
Witnesses said the fire is suspected to have started inside a local hotel before spreading rapidly to nearby structures.
According to residents, the flames first engulfed the eatery, then spread to an adjacent clinic before reaching a gas cylinder depot located next to the premises.
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Once the fire reached the gas depot, preliminary reports indicate that gas cylinders began exploding one after another, intensifying the blaze and worsening the destruction.
The explosions sent cylinders and debris flying, shattering windows of nearby buildings and damaging several vehicles parked in the area.
Terrified residents reported running out of their homes for safety as the explosions continued, with loud blasts echoing across the estate.
Emergency responders and county disaster management teams rushed to the scene to contain the inferno and assess the situation.
Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control before it could spread further to surrounding residential blocks and businesses.
By mid-morning, the fire had been contained, but the full extent of the damage and the number of injuries, if any, had not been officially confirmed.
The incident comes two days after a trailer burst into flames along the Busia-Malaba Highway after a gas cylinder exploded inside the drier's cabin.
Witnesses revealed that the driver had fallen asleep while preparing a meal for himself while taking a break beside the road.
The gas had been on for a while before it exploded, engulfing the entire cabin in fire with the driver trapped inside.
First responders explained that the inferno had jammed the trailer's locking system.
"The driver had locked the doors, which refused to open. We had to break in through the window to pull out the driver, lest he would have been burnt alive," one witness stated.
They also managed to pull out the cylinder from the abin. Efforts to quell the fire using soil and water proved futile as the fire kept burning.
Other drivers who parked in front of the trailer were asked to move their trailers to a safe distance to prevent the fire from spreading.
Bystanders faulted the police, the fire department and the county government for taking time to respond to the incident.
"We have waited almost one hour for the firefighters and 50 minutes for police officers, yet their station is not so far from here," a witness commented.
