Panic swept through parts of Nairobi’s Central Business District on Saturday evening after a fire broke out at a commercial building along Luthuli Street, barely days after a similar inferno razed the nearby Ramogi Building.
The fire, which started at around 6:30pm, sent thick plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky, visible from several blocks away. Eyewitness images and videos show smoke first emerging from the top floor of the five-storey building before bright yellow and red flames erupted, triggering chaos during the evening rush hour.
The affected building, identified by its distinctive mirror-finish frontage, is located at the intersection of Munyu Road and Luthuli Avenue, near a bus stop formerly used by Kenya Mpya buses. Flames on the fifth floor severely damaged the building’s exterior, raising fears of extensive losses.
Nairobi County Fire Brigade teams were swiftly deployed and worked to contain the blaze and stop it from spreading to adjacent structures. Police officers were also stationed around the area to secure nearby businesses and prevent looting as crowds gathered.
The Kenya Red Cross confirmed the incident, stating that its Red Cross Action Team (RCAT) had been activated to support emergency response efforts on the ground.
By the time of publication, no injuries had been reported. However, property worth millions of shillings is feared to have been destroyed. The cause of the fire and the full extent of the damage are yet to be established.
Authorities have advised motorists and pedestrians to avoid the area to allow emergency teams to operate without obstruction.
The latest fire comes just metres from the Ramogi Building, which was gutted earlier this week. Police later confirmed that the earlier incident was caused by an electrical fault during routine repair work, a blaze that left traders counting heavy losses as electronics shops were reduced to ashes.