Fire from explosion of gas-laden vehicle kills at least three people in Nairobi

A vehicle loaded with gas exploded, sparking an inferno that set fire to homes and warehouses in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Friday, killing at least three people and injuring more than 270. The death toll is expected to rise.

Many residents were likely in their homes when the fire reached their homes in the city's Embakasi area late at night, said Isaac Mwaura, a government spokesman.

The truck explosion caused a huge fireball, and a flying gas cylinder ignited a fire that burned down the Oriental Godown, a warehouse where clothes and textiles are processed, Mr Mwaura said. Several other vehicles and businesses were damaged by the inferno, which started around 11:30 pm on Thursday.

The proximity of the industrial company to homes raised questions about the enforcement of city plans. Officials in the provincial government have been accused of taking bribes to overlook building codes and regulations.

Several houses and shops burned down locally after dawn. The shell of the vehicle believed to have caused the explosion was on its side. The roof of a four-storey residential building, about 200 meters from the explosion site, was broken by a flying gas cylinder. Electrical wires lay on the ground and nothing remained in the burned out warehouse except the shells from several trucks.

Alfred Juma, an aspiring politician, said he heard loud noise from a gas cylinder in a warehouse next to his house. “I started waking the neighbors and asking them to leave,” he said.

He said he warned a black car not to drive through the area, but the driver persisted and his vehicle stopped because of the fumes.

He said he also grabbed two children and they hid in a sewer ditch until the explosions ended. His family were not present at the time, but Mr Juma said he lost everything he owned in the fire.

Caroline Karanja, a neighbor, said the smell and smoke were still suffocating and she would have to stay away for a while because she had young children.

“The police turned everyone away, making it difficult to get into my house and forcing me to find a place to sleep until this morning,” she said.

Police and the Kenya Red Cross reported three deaths, and Embakasi police chief Wesley Kimeto said the toll could rise as the situation became clearer.

The government and the Red Cross said 271 people had been taken to various hospitals with injuries.