BY
PIUS MAUNDU
@piusmaundu
piusmaundu@yahoo.com
Property
of unknown value was destroyed yesterday after a building in Nairobi city
centre caught fire.
The
fire at Elite Arcade was quickly put off by the Nairobi County Council Fire
Brigade during the mid-morning incident at Kimathi Street.
No
one was injured in the incident.
The
building which is directly opposite Nation Cente houses a bank, a restaurant
and several stalls stocking clothes and electronics equipment.
Witnesses
said the inferno started at a small eatery on the second floor called Memosa
Foods when a gas cylinder that was leaking exploded.
“We
realized that people from the second floor were dashing downstairs in a frenzy,
and without hesitating we closed down and dashed in pursuit,” said Onesmas
Mulei, a steward at City Star Restaurant on the first floor.
Mr
Mulei said that the escaping occupants had difficulties escaping the building
as thick smoke had filled the stairways and corridors.
Tongues
of fires were seen emanating from the windows adjacent to Nation Centre, and
billows of smoke filled the adjacent alley.
Nation staff were hurriedly
evacuated from their offices for fear that the escalating fire could spread to
their building.
Triumphant
fire fighters emerged from the building carrying with them a slightly charred 13-kilogram
gas cylinder.
Satwant
Mahajan, the owner of the building, said that this was not the first time the
building had caught fire.
“The
first time it happened, the fire had been caused by faulty electric cables in a
restaurant, and not on the building itself,” said Mr Mahajan as he made through
the flight of stairs.
On
the second floor charred celling remains dangled precariously adding to the
charred remains of what used to be stools, benches, a giant thermos flask,
plastic plates, and cooking pots floating on a pool of water dotted with
charcoal to make the charred stall with Memosa Foods insignia sordid.
Mr
Mahajan denied that the stall served as an eatery, maintaining instead that his
building only housed one restaurant: City Star Restaurant.
