Three Neptune hotels razed in Kwale, occupants evacuated

Smoke and smouldering pillars were what was left of Neptune Paradise Beach resort in Diani, Kwale County after a fire on June 28, 2016. Three hotels and five cottages were burnt. No deaths or injuries were reported. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The fire started at around 5:30pm in one of the bungalows at the Palm Hotel, part of the connected chain of hotels.

  • The three hotels are owned by the same company, Neptune Hotels.

Three beach resorts belonging to Neptune Hotels and five cottages in Diani, Kwale County, were razed by a fire on Tuesday evening.

According to hotel resident manager Jackson Kifoto, the fire started at around 5:30pm in one of the bungalows at the Palm Hotel, part of the connected chain of hotels.

Mr Kifoto said the fire then spread, fanned by strong winds, to the adjacent Village and Paradise hotels owned by Neptune.

“The fire spread fast and it was hard to put out as it moved from one hotel to another, leaving us scrambling for what we could salvage,” he said.

At the time the fire started, Mr Kifoto said only Palm Hotel was occupied, adding that there were 53 guests there but no one was injured.

Mr Kifoto told the Nation that the makuti (thatch) roofs were destroyed but the occupants' belongings were salvaged.

A man takes pictures of the aftermath of the fire at Neptune Paradise Beach Resort and Spa in Diani, Kwale County, on June 28, 2016. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

TOOK HOURS

It took hours for the fire to be contained and by 8pm smoke and sparks could still be seen in some hotels that had been covered by a heavy cloud of smoke.

Acting Kwale County Commissioner Mwangi Kahiro supervised the relocation of tourists to other nearby hotels using hotel and government vehicles.

Three hotels and five cottages belonging to Neptune Paradise Beach Resort in Diani, Kwale County, were razed after a fire broke out on June 28, 2016. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

“We have provided transport to evacuate the visitors to other hotels and also ensure that they are safe from any acts of theft by people who might take advantage of the situation,” Mr Kahiro said.

He dismissed claims that some of the visitors had been robbed by people who gathered outside the hotels, saying no such cases had been reported.

He promised that security would be intensified at the hotel until Wednesday morning, when they would assess the situation.

“We will stay here until all visitors have been evacuated and then we will know the next course of action,” he said.

Crowds gathered outside the burning hotels. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

(Editing by Joel Muinde, Martin Kinyanjui and Henry Gekonde)