19 killed in city fires since January, Kenya Red Cross says
National Youth Service members at the scene of a fire in the Mukuru Fuata Nyayo slum, Nairobi, where the blaze destroyed structures on August 13, 2015. PHOTO | JAMES EKWAM | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The Kenya Red Cross said the fire razed 20 houses.
- The organisation said it would also identify innovative ways to educate children and youth on fire risks, reduction and response.
Nineteen people have died in Nairobi this year due to fires while another 258 have been left with injuries.
According to the Kenya Red Cross, 4,907 households were affected by fire in the city from January to September this year.
The fires occurred mostly in informal settlements, where structures stand squeezed tightly to one another, have illegal electricity connections and are served by narrow roads that do not allow fire engines to pass through.
On Tuesday night, a fire was reported at the Mukuru Fuata Nyayo slum on Enterprise Road.
The Red Cross said the fire razed 20 houses.
“Fire (was) contained by Nairobi City County fire engine assisted by local community members. Approximately 20 households affected,” said the emergency response organisation on its Twitter account.
“We aim to use low cost solution to redesign fire response mechanisms through development of community fire response stations,” said the Red Cross under the hashtag #EndSlumFires
The organisation said it would also identify innovative ways to educate children and youth on fire risks, reduction and response.
“When fires occur in slums, they spread quickly causing property damage, injuries and loss of lives,” said the Red Cross, adding that its the youth and children who are most affected by the incidents.
