Villa owners in Malindi, Kilifi County are counting millions of shillings in losses after fire gutted at least 12 executive properties along the Casino beachline.
The residents are blaming the Malindi Municipality for slow response to the incident, noting that the fire spread very fast, bringing down the villas.
According to Samuel Kaduka, an employee at one of the villas, the fire broke out around 3 am after flames from burning garbage on an alleged grabbed neighboring beach plot spread due to strong winds blowing from the Indian Ocean.
“I take care of a plot around the beach and there were some people who grabbed a nearby plot and they were burning garbage at around 3 am in the morning but they failed to control the fire due to strong winds from the ocean that made the fire spread to other properties,” he said.
“We demand action from the Malindi fire brigade and also, the land grabbers, and action should be taken against those who started the fire,” he added.
Kaduka said firefighters from the Malindi municipality arrived with their engine when the fire had not spread much, but they did nothing.
According to Samuel Kaduka, an employee at one of the villas, the fire broke out around 3 am after flames from burning garbage on an alleged grabbed neighboring beach plot spread due to strong winds blowing from the Indian Ocean.
Brenda Kombe, another employee, said she is now jobless after her employer’s villa burned to ashes.
“I was away when I received a call from an employee of another villa, and when I rushed here I found the house had just started burning and firefighters were just there watching with their engine,” she said.
She blamed firefighters for their slow response, saying they waited until all the villas were down before they started spraying water on the ashes and debris.
“Many a times houses burn in Malindi but the firefighters drag themselves to respond. I am now jobless because the house I take care of has been reduced to ashes,” she said.
The post Fire razes Malindi villas, owners count millions in losses appeared first on KBC Digital.