Homeless Kenyan man dies in US fire tragedy

A Kenyan man whom US authorities described as homeless has died following an explosion that razed a building he was in. The building was located in Forest Park, about twenty miles South of the city of Atlanta, Georgia.

The man has been identified as Daniel Kariuki Chege, aka Kandithi.

Clayton County authorities said the man “may have been asleep when several explosions rocked the building”.

“Daniel was well known around here. He usually spent the night inside the building to keep the wintery weather at bay,” said Moses Freeman, a friend of the deceased. “He was an amiable man,” he added.

According to witnesses, firefighters responding to a 911 call around 9pm on January 9 found a building burning with a man trapped inside.

WORKED FOR FIVE HOURS

Atlanta’s WSB-TV reported that 50 firefighters worked for five hours to control the blaze.

Officials said the building may have been a mechanic's shop. Several acetylene tanks had exploded inside the building.

Crews spent hours looking through the debris overnight for any additional victims.

A friend of the deceased who spoke to the Nation on condition of anonymity said it took the family several days before they learnt that it was Mr Chege who had died in the fire tragedy.

“Initially, the local media did not have the name of the victim. When authorities contacted the family four days later, they were devastated,” he said.

Daniel’s sister, Grace Nyambura Wandu, on Wednesday appealed to the Kenyan community and other well-wishers to turn up for a memorial service-cum-fundraiser on January 24, at the Beulah Heights University Student Centre in Atlanta to “help us bury our brother”.

The burial will take place on January 31 at Mt Harmony Memorial Gardens, 581 Veterans Memorial Hwy, SE, Mableton, GA 30126.

By the time of going to press, authorities were still investigating the actual cause of the fire.