Fire destroys property worth millions in Kahawa Wendani

Property worth millions of shillings was destroyed on Tuesday morning after fire burnt down 32 stalls in Kahawa Wendani, Kiambu County.

The fire whose cause of the fire could not be immediately established but was said to have started at around 3am Tuesday in a hotel before spreading to adjacent stalls.

Kahawa Wendani Chief Christine Makimei told the Nation that she received calls from a distressed woman at around 4.45am informing her that some people were screaming in the area.

It was later established that the screams were coming from owners of the stalls that were burning.

"We called in the county fire brigade only for the first fire engine to arrive without enough water. We called in the second and finally the third one that managed to put it off. Unfortunately by that time, the fire had consumed so much property [that] nothing was salvaged," said Ms Makimei.

The 32 stalls consisted of pubs, salons, barber shops, grocery stalls, boutiques, butcheries and general shops.

SH200,000 LOSS

Martin Muhoro, a butchery owner said he lost 32 kilos of meat, over 150 pieces of chicken stored in a deep freezer and other kitchen appliances.

"My losses amount to about Sh200,000. I suspect the fire might have been started by someone for unknown reasons.

“The fire engine disappointed us, it arrived at 6am, hours after we called them," said Muhoro.

A seemingly distraught owner of the stalls, Ms Esther Muthoni, said the fire came as a shock to her.

CAUSE UNKNOWN

"I was in my house at the time, around 3.30am when I heard some noise and a few minutes later my house caught fire from the ceiling before spreading to my salon. I lost everything including my clothes. I have nothing left on me," said Ms Muthoni.

The landlady said she could not tell if the fire was caused by electricity fault or charcoal from the kitchen.

Ruiru MP Esther Gathogo called on the affected business owners to maintain calm as police investigate the cause of the incident.

"I have talked to the area OCPD. The incident is being investigated. We shall use the findings to establish the next cause of action be it compensation or otherwise," said Ms Gathogo.

She asked hoteliers in Ruiru to always ensure that they put off electricity and charcoal as they close business in order to avoid such incidents in future.