A major fire, believed to be caused by an unknown factor, broke out early Tuesday morning and engulfed a mattress manufacturing factory in the Makongeni area of Thika town, Kiambu County.
The witnesses noted that the fire was so strong that it almost spread to the buildings around, thus causing a scare among the residents and workers in the area. It is reported that the fire escalated very fast, thus the factory remains a total loss with no part of it being retrievable.
As per the witnesses’ statements, a gas leak may have aggravated the fire inside the facility, making it very hard for the fire to be tamed. While the fire was becoming uncontrollable every minute, the firemen from Kiambu County could hardly manage to contain it and thus the authorities had to request additional help from the neighbouring Murang’a County.
This has once again pinpointed the unpreparedness of the fire brigade and their response to the emergency in the industrial area of Thika. Thus, the demand for improved firefighting capacity and better-equipped emergency services is getting louder and louder.
There were several people who were hurt during the incident and thus taken to different hospitals across Kiambu County for medical care. The police are currently investigating the case in order to find out the cause of the fire and determine the damage extent.