According to data from the Tushinde Children’s Trust report on fires in Mathare and Kiambiu informal settlements, a total of 892 families have been victims of mysterious fires recorded from January 2021 to May 18, 2022, in Nairobi County.
A fire has burned down buildings in a section of the Mathare area, in Nairobi County.
According to videos shared on social media on the morning of Wednesday, August 31, the fire is spreading fast in the heavily congested area.
Most of the affected houses are made of iron sheets. The authorities and residents are yet to find out the exact cause of the fire. No casualties have been reported so far.
The county firefighters have already responded ad rushed to the incident in a bid to try and put out the huge fire.
The fire incident in the area comes barely a year after more than 300 homes in the informal settlements of Mango Kubwa in the same Mathare slums also went up in flames in the morning hours of October 8, 2021.
The incident reported two deaths residents feared that there were several casualties for whom were not accounted.
The biggest challenge at that time was the lack of water according to the residents who opted for drainage water to calm down the fire.
Locals have urged the Nairobi County government to intervene and help them with temporary residences as they embark on a journey to rebuild their lives.
Nairobi suffers frequent mysterious fires, especially in the slums and markets, which destroy property worth millions of shillings.
According to data from the Tushinde Children’s Trust report on fires in Mathare and Kiambiu informal settlements, a total of 892 families have been victims of mysterious fires recorded from January 2021 to May 18, 2022, in Nairobi County.
The report reveals that the two slums experienced fire incidents seven out of 12 months last year with 502 families affected.
Most fires are attributed to faulty electrical wiring, unattended stoves, and arson or vandalism from gang conflicts according to the organization.
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