Fire destroys property at Tharaka-Nithi’s Muriiru Market
What you need to know:
- A victim, Mrs Lucy Naivasa said they were woken up by residents at around midnight only to find that fire was consuming their houses.
- She said the residents fought the fire using water and soil but were unable to save anything from the houses.
- A tenant, Mr Gilbert Muriuki said one of the houses was a boutique full of clothes while others were groceries and residential houses.
- The residents criticised the Tharaka-Nithi County government fire fighters for failing to respond to their cries even after contacting them.
Property worth thousands of shillings was reduced to ashes after fire gutted premises at Muriiru Market in the outskirts of Chogoria Town in Tharaka-Nithi County on Wednesday night.
A victim, Mrs Lucy Naivasa said they were woken up by residents at around midnight only to find that fire was consuming their houses.
“We were all sleeping when we heard neighbours shouting and after getting out we found that our house was burning,” said Mrs Naivasa.
She said the residents fought the fire using water and soil but were unable to save anything from the houses.
“All the villagers came to help us but we could not save anything because the fire was spreading very first since the houses were made of timber,” she said.
A tenant, Mr Gilbert Muriuki said one of the houses was a boutique full of clothes while others were groceries and residential houses.
“This was the heart of the market because most of the burnt houses were business premises which served the residents,” said Mr Muriuki.
Maara OCPD John Njihia said property worth more than Sh600,000 was damaged following the tragedy.
OVERWHELMED BY HUGE FIRE
“On arrival we mobilised the neighbours to put it off but we were overwhelmed because the fire was very fierce and spreading very fast because the houses were built of timber,” said Mr Njihia.
The cause of the inferno was not immediately established.
“Let us be careful on how we handle fire because it can cause huge losses especially at night when people are asleep,” advised Mr Njihia.
The residents criticised the Tharaka-Nithi County government fire fighters for failing to respond to their cries even after contacting them.
They urged the county government to ensure that there is a fire engine at Chogoria so that it can respond quickly to emergencies around Chogoria Town and its environs.
“The fire engine at Chuka Town cannot help the whole county, we need at least one in every sub-county,” said Joseph Mutegi, a resident.
This comes two weeks after two other fire incidents burnt dormitories at Kajiunduthi and St Augustine secondary schools in the same district.
