One injured, five houses destroyed after gas explodes

A Monday evening fire that was caused by a gas cylinder explosion seriously injured one man and left five families homeless in Uthiru, Kiambu County.

The gas exploded on the man’s face and he was admitted at the PCEA Kikuyu Hospital.

HELP

The man, popularly known as "Papa" Waithaka, had gone to help rescue his neighbours and salvage their belongings.

No one else was injured in the incident, but the houses were razed to the ground.

When the fire broke out, Ms Monicah Nzambi and her family were settling down for supper at 7pm.

"We heard screams coming from the neighbour’s house and knew something was wrong. We got out of the house and saw that their gas cylinder was in flames. We got water from my house and tried to put out the fire," she said.

More neighbours came to the rescue and one suggested smothering the flames with wet blankets, which only made it worse.

The gas cylinder exploded and the flames quickly spread to the adjoining houses.

LOSSES

Ms Agnes Macharia, the tenant of the house in which the fire started, broke down as she came to terms with the loss of property.

"We have lost everything, our money, my son's school books, uniforms...I can't believe we have to start over again," she said.

Ms Macharia, who had moved into the house just a month earlier, spent the night out in the cold.

She is also a 2007-08 post-election survivor, and was starting over when tragedy struck again.

Ms Macharia said she has now lost all her documents and title deeds to her property in Nakuru, which she had not reclaimed since being driven out of her land 10 years ago.

The owner of the houses has yet to show up. Mr George Kamau, who lives in Karen, is in ill health, said his uncle Matthew Wainaina.