Fire Destroys Shops Along Luthuli Avenue in Nairobi CBD

Normal operations were brought to a standstill along Luthuli Avenue in the Nairobi CBD after a fire broke out at one of the busy buildings on Tuesday, December 6.

Preliminary reports indicate the fire stemmed from Ramogi building, which houses several electronic shops on the ground floor.

In images and videos obtained byKenyans.co.ke, the fire appeared to have started on the first floor and eventually spread to uncontainable levels after a few minutes.

Moments after the inferno started, a huge crowd gathered at the scene, although no one attempted to put out the flames, which had already destroyed a considerable part of the building.

Notably, the massive displays along the busy street were engulfed in flames, while much of the first-floor premises’ contents were reduced to ashes.

While there are no official reports on thecasualties or injuries resulting from the fire, the inferno led to the destruction of several shops, leading to property of unknown value going up in flames.

Clips circulating on social mediashowed business owners in surrounding areasmoving quickly to close their shops, fearing the blaze could easily spread to the neighbouring buildings.

At the time of publication of this article, the Nairobi City County Government had yet to issue a formal statement on the fire. Online, however, there was growing criticism on the delayed response from the fire department as the inferno persisted.