Govt data lost in dawn fire
Fire fighters put out a fire at Herufi House, Nairobi where the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) offices are located. Government data was destroyed in the fire that engulfed the main server room July 4, 2013. JEFF ANGOTE
Government data was destroyed in a fire that engulfed the main server room of the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics in Nairobi Thursday.
Fire fighters from the National Youth service, the City Council and the military were called in to put out the raging fire suspected to have been caused by an electrical fault.
"We received a call at around six o’clock that the server room was on fire and started mobilising for help," said KNBS acting Director General Zachary Mwangi outside Herufi House.
The fire took an a hour to put off.
Fire fighters put out a fire at Herufi House, Nairobi July 4, 2013. Government data was destroyed in the fire that engulfed the main server room of the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. ANTHONY OMUYA
Mr Mwangi said the extent of the damage could not be immediately established but discounted claims crucial data may have been lost in the inferno as “we have other back–ups offsite".
“The room which is damaged is the server room where we keep the data but luckily we have a back up elsewhere once the smoke clears we will be able to access it,” he said.
No causalities were reported in the morning incident.
A guard at the adjacent Central Bank said the fire started at around 5.00am.
“We tried to put it off but ran out of water from our reservoirs,” the guard, who did not want to be identified, told reporters.
Police at the scene said investigations have been launched to establish the cause of the fire.
