Tragedy in Mathare: Five killed, several injured in devastating slum fire
According to sources, it took the intervention of fire engines from the military and the Nairobi County Government to contain the raging inferno that gutted at least eight houses and razed two churches.
Grief and loss gripped Mathare B slums in Nairobi on Monday morning after a devastating fire claimed the lives of five residents, injured four others, and displaced dozens of families.
The fire, which reportedly broke out around 2 am on May 19, swept through a section of the densely populated informal settlement, reducing structures to ashes and rendering several households homeless.
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Among those killed were three adults and two children.
According to sources, it took the intervention of fire engines from the military and the Nairobi County Government to contain the raging inferno that gutted at least eight houses and razed two churches.
“We understand the victims were sleeping when the fire broke out, killing five of them. Four others are in the hospital with serious injuries,” Nairobi police boss George Sedah said.
According to police and residents, the fire is believed to have started in one of the iron sheet structures before quickly spreading to adjacent homes.
The injured were rushed to the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in the area for emergency treatment, police said.
Sedah confirmed that the five bodies were moved to the mortuary pending post-mortem and further investigations into the cause of the fire.
By Monday morning, smoke still hung in the air as families returned to the scene to sift through the debris and begin rebuilding what remained of their lives.
Police have launched investigations into the origin of the fire.
The incident adds to the growing list of fire tragedies in Nairobi’s informal settlements, where calls for the construction and expansion of access roads have long gone unanswered.
On Sunday morning, a massive fire erupted at the footwear section of Gikomba Market near Lamu Road in Majengo, Pumwani.
Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan confirmed the incident, saying firefighters, with help from local volunteers, responded swiftly to contain the flames.
“A massive fire erupted in the footwear section of Gikomba Market, adjacent to Lamu Road in Majengo in Pumwani at around 3 am. The county fire engine has arrived, and firefighters and local volunteers are battling to squash the inferno,” Yusuf said.
Preliminary reports indicated that there were no casualties or injuries reported in the Gikomba fire.
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