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| Fire tragedy in Pumwani Village |
At least six people were Tuesday, October 19 night killed in a fire incident in sprawling Kitui Village, Pumwani area, Nairobi.
Police said at least ten others, mostly men were injured and are in hospitals after the incident.
The cause of the fire is yet to be established, police said.
More than 50 houses were flattened in the incident. This left many homeless, according to emergency service providers.
Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei said they are investigating the tragedy.
“Those are many people to die in such an incident. They are all men and we are investigating the tragedy,” he said.
According to the Kenya Red Cross, at least 16 people were treated with minor injuries as efforts to find missing persons continued into the night.
The source of the fire, which was contained hours later, is yet to be established, police said.
“Together with the Nairobi City County Fire Department and community members, we have managed to contain a fire incident in Kitui Village, Majengo, Nairobi. The Kenya Red Cross remains on-site, supporting efforts to locate missing persons,” the organisation said in a tweet.
Kamkunji Member of Parliament Yusuf Hassan mourned the dead.
“This tragedy marks one of the deadliest fires in Kamukunji. Emergency teams are on the scene, searching the affected area for additional victims. Many of the injured have been taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.”
“My heartfelt condolences go out to the residents of Kitui Village who have lost family members and friends in this fierce blaze, which rapidly engulfed a section of the neighbourhood,” he said.
Nairobi County Government officials said they will send teams to the scene to assess the scene for necessary action.
Officials said they plan to help the affected reconstruct their structures.
Those in hospitals will also get help.
This is the latest fire incident in the area in a series that have happened.
Police say most slums in the city report at least one fire incident daily.
This has stretched the services of firefighters and others.
The lack of roads to the areas to enhance response has been cited as part of the challenges for emergency service providers.
Those affected are camping at local schools and are urging for help to reconstruct their structures.
A similar incident in the Mathare area left many homeless on Monday night.
by CYRUS OMBATI