Razing fire in Kisii town near Sansora Buildings and next to Shivlings Supermarket destroyed properties worth millions of money on Tuesday evening. Disturbing pictures and videos from the scene portray a high rising smoke and a fast advancing red hot inferno.
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The fire which started at around 3:15 pm on February 15th, 2022, torched down about 20 businesses among them open-air stalls and hotels. The police accompanied Kisii firefighters who arrived an hour late had nothing much left to save. Luckily, no casualty reported.
What caused the razing fire in Kisii town CBD?
Initial reports indicate that the fire started following the explosion of an LPG gas cylinder.
The second report indicates that the fire started in one of the hotels. Lastly, it may have started within the Juakali shops.
“We saw fire coming out from one of the shops in the middle; within no minute, the flame was uncontrollable around the shops.”
Kisii town fire eye witness.
Mr Pius Migiro, a metallic Box trader who suffered a loss of at least Ksh. 300,000 had this to say.
“I am totally finished. I do not know how I will service my loan as all my goods were destroyed and others looted.”
Kisii Town trader, Pius Migiro.
Kisii County police commander Francis Kooli told the press that investigations are ongoing on the cause of the fire and the extent of damages.
Blaming the Kisii Firefighters for poor response
The Kisii County fire station located near Storm Hotel arrived at the scene about an hour late because of gross unpreparedness.
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Reliable sources have revealed that the firefighting equipment was defunct at the time of a fire incident.
For that reason, desperate authorities were forced to outsource a fire truck from the neighbouring Nyamira County, about 30 kilometres away.
Upon arrival, a heated fracas ensued between police officers and offended onlookers.
The highly defensive Kisii County says the resident fire truck was in another unnamed rescue mission.
“It is unfortunate that some of the onlookers started throwing stones and halted the rescue mission for a while. We call upon members of the public to desist from such behaviour as two wrongs don’t make a right.”
Kisii County Government.
Unhappy locals have since been questioning the competence of Ongwae’s outgoing government.
In the list of severe damages are 3 middle-income hotels and several Juakali businesses.
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Hundreds of helpless businessmen watched their investments wasting to ashes with no help forthcoming. A lack of preparedness among local authorities only worsened the eventualities of a razing fire in Kisii town.
