NAIROBI (AFP) – Around 300 people have been injured in a massive fire caused by a gas explosion in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, the Kenyan Red Cross said on Friday.
"The concerted actions of various response units have resulted in the successful evacuation of 271 individuals to different health facilities in Nairobi," the Kenya Red Cross said on social media platform X, adding that an additional 27 people were treated on site.
The fire broke out on Thursday night in the Embakasi neighborhood southeast of the capital, government spokesman Isaac Maigua Mwaura said on X.
"One Lorry (truck) of an unknown registration number that was loaded with gas exploded, igniting a huge ball of fire that spread widely," he said.
"Consequently, the inferno further damaged several vehicles and commercial properties, including many small and medium sized businesses.
"Sadly, residential houses in the neighborhood also caught fire, with a good number of residents still inside as it was late at night."
At around 6:30 am local time (0330 GMT), firefighters were still working to bring the blaze under control, according to an AFP journalist.
Large columns of black smoke were seen billowing from the fire on the outskirts of the city.