In NAIROBI, Kenya February 18 2011 At least two people were burnt to death and nearly 3,000 families displaced after a massive fire broke out at Nairobi’s Mukuru slum.
There have been twenty two incidents of fire within Nairobi in one month now. More than fifty other people suffered burns or suffered injuries as they fled from the fire that spread fast through the densely populated slum.
Police and fire-fighters who responded to distress calls from the residents described the fire as “one of the worst to occur in Nairobi in recent times.”
Emergency crews from the City Council of Nairobi who went to put out the fire that started at 10am were unable to venture into the slum due to lack of access roads, eliciting fury from the dwellers who resorted to stoning the fire personnel and their vehicles before police intervened.
The fire started at Fuata Nyayo village, and quickly spread through to a village bordering known as Commercial that borders Enterprise Road before it extended to Mariguini.
The government should start up slum upgrading projects this will ensure that fire will reduce in slums. The government should also set up firefighting equipment in slum areas.
