An explosion from a truck loaded with liquified petroleum gas caused an inferno, killing at least three people and injuring nearly 300 individuals in Nairobi, Kenya, Thursday, Feb. 1, according to authorities and first responders. The Kenya Red Cross confirmed that 24 of the individuals injured were in critical condition.
The Associated Press reported that the truck was inside a gas cylinder storage and filling site. The site had multiple applications to operate there rejected in 2023. Kenya’s Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) said it rejected three applications for construction permits because of the high population density around the facility.
Reuters found that EPRA asked the applicant to submit a risk assessment including a document called a “blast profile,” which would show the nearby areas impacted if an explosion were to occur. The agency said the applicants never submitted the documents. Right now, it’s unclear who owns the facility.
During the explosion, residents in a nearby building screamed as a plume of smoke and flames went hundreds of feet into the air. Witnesses posted the video to social media.
“The fire caught up with me from almost a kilometer away as I was escaping,” Edwin Machio, a survivor, told Reuters.
According to the AP, a flying gas cylinder from the truck set off the fire that burned down a nearby garment and textile warehouse. Reuters reported several vehicles and homes were also scorched.
Many residents were inside their homes when the fire reached their houses in one neighborhood, said Isaac Mwuara, a government spokesperson.
On Friday morning, police moved into the area and removed people from the vicinity while preventing others from returning to their homes.
The operation of the facility reportedly without legal permits is likely to put the government’s enforcement of regulations under the microscope. The AP found that local government officials have been accused of taking bribes to overlook building codes and other regulations.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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