Night blaze guts section of Nairobi’s Kimathi House

Fire gutted a section of Kimathi House in Nairobi’s city centre on Sunday evening.

The inferno is said to have started shortly before 7pm. It took some 30 minutes for the firefighters arrived at the scene.

Witnesses told the Nation that the blaze started on the building’s northern corner that faces Barclays Bank.

“I saw smoke coming from that floor. When I checked, I saw flames but they were still just in the corner,” said a security guard on the building.

The entire sixth floor was razed and the fire leapt to the upper floors.

Towed vehicles

City Council firemen arrived at the building situated at the junction of Kimathi Street and Kenyatta Avenue, but took another 15 minutes to start dousing the blaze.

Council officials and members of the public towed vehicles that had been parked building as the owners had left.

However, the ill-preparedness of the City Council’s fire department was evident when they failed to push the water high enough to reach the affected floors.

Moments later, fire fighters from the G4S security firm arrived to assist.

They took about seven minutes to find the right position to hurl the water high enough.

The 10-storey building is significant as it hosts a number of key firms such as Kenya Commercial Bank, Metropolitan Teachers Sacco, Pergamon Group, chemists, Leaders Institute, a fashion store, several M-Pesa agents, and stores, among others.

The fire was eventually contained at about 10pm.